


Race of His Life

by cresentcatt



Category: Brave (2012), Cars (Pixar Movies), Frozen (Disney Movies), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Anna and Rapunzel matchmaking, Eugene is very dramatic, Ex-racer!Elsa, F/M, Fluff, Hate to Love, Jelsa Cars Au, Merida is done with their shit but helps then nonetheless, a few swear words here n there, hiccstrid hinted, racer!Jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 91,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23329168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cresentcatt/pseuds/cresentcatt
Summary: "You, mister, are gonna be punished for the destruction you've caused," she said."Pfft, like I even care." He rolled his eyes.At this, she raised an eyebrow before replying smugly, "You will. Because you won't be returning home until you fix the mess you've made."In which Jack messed up and has to fix the mess he made and yet, can't seem to ignore the one person who imprisoned him.(Jelsa fanfic inspired by Cars 1)
Relationships: Anna/Kristoff (Disney), Elsa (Disney)/Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Comments: 19
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this fanfic was kinda inspired by Cars 1 with my own twists and turns. I hope you guys like it!
> 
> IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE READING THE FANFIC!  
> a) All the characters look the same (physical form, face, etc) but they're just wearing modern clothes since this is a Modern!AU  
> b) Jack won't behave like himself in the beginning so please, bear with it

_"_ _And_ _the_ _Light_ _Cup_ _goes_ _to_ _Jack_ _Frost_ _!"_ The announcer yelled, his voice somewhat distant as fans went nuts and screamed their heads off. A man, wearing black from head to toe, walked up the stage, shook hands with the Chief Guest before he received his award, his key to the final race.

He walked ahead and shook hands with the two announcers and even kissed the hand of the female announcer, who swooned at his touch. He winked at the cameras and ran a hand through his silver-white hair which sent the paparazzi crazy. He accepted the mic from the announcers and turned to the crowd.

"What's up America?!" Jack Frost yelled into the mic, which had the whole audience screaming. "Sweet!" He gave a wide grin before starting his speech. He thanked his trainers, his family, and his company president for giving him an opportunity to race, blah blah, all the stuff that was expected of him to tell. He finished his speech with a smirk and a wink, kissing his cup for all the photos to be taken. 

The Light Cup was the award given to the winner of the semifinals of the legendary Race of Rapidity, a race to determine the best person with speed, agility, and quick wit to get them out of trouble. To Jack, earning the Light Cup was nothing since his eyes were on the main thing: The Tachyons Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the Race of Rapidity in the finals.

Once at least a hundred pictures were taken, he stepped down from the stage, hearing the speaker announce the runner-up for the Light Cup, Hiccup Haddock, who would also be entering the finals.

After a while of talking with the managers of the other companies and flirting with some beautiful ladies, Jack walked around with his Cup in his hand. He spotted Hiccup sitting with his dragon Toothless, riding whom Hiccup competes in the races. And sitting with them was the beautiful Astrid Haddock, ex-racer who recently got married to the auburn-haired racer. The two shared a loving smile before Hiccup saw Jack. He waved at him in a friendly manner, but Jack ignored them and just walked away. He noticed his own company standing a few meters ahead and walked over to them.

"Well done Jack!" said North, CEO of the Guardians Inc., which was the company sponsoring Jack with all his races.

"Yeah, the race was awesome!" Toothiana, North's secretary, gushed before she slapped him on his back. Next to her, Sandy, one of Jack's managers, gave him a thumbs up to show his support.

"Yeah, get going already. You're gonna miss your interviews." Bunny, Jack's other manager, muttered as he guided Jack to his tour bus.

Jack got on, without bothering to thank them, and shut his door before blasting his heavy-metal music.

"He's not gonna change, is he?" Tooth sighed, turning to her coworkers and friends.

"Don't think so. Emma is the only one who could make him smile. But nowadays he avoids even her." North muttered.

"Okay, fine, let's stop talking about all of this and get going already. Get back to your cars. His bus will be leaving soon." He chased them all away before secretly turning to Jamie, Jack's driver. "Take care of him" Bunny whispered to Jamie, who grinned and nodded.

Having heard their conversation even through the loud music, Jack sighed, falling backward and landing on his bed. He looked around his room in the bus, seeing posters of the race and of himself; his clothes neatly folded and placed in a wardrobe in the corner, a door leading to the washroom and some other things he would need for the trip.

In reality, Jack never wanted any of this. All he cared about was to win the Tachyons Cup of the Race of Rapidity, the most honorable game of the century for those gifted with supernatural abilities. In a world where powers like invisibility and levitation were common among the people, those with elemental powers were considered special and those whose powers were controlled by their emotions, as well as themselves, were considered the rarest and the best, or in some cases the worst.

And Jack came under the last category. To top it off, he could control the wind and sometimes even water if it was _really_ cold. But that drains him of energy at an alarming speed and he would have to concentrate _very_ hard so Jack never bothered.

Jack snapped from his thoughts when he heard his phone ringing, and bit his lip when he saw that it was his eight-year-old little sister. He reduced the volume of his speakers and answered the call.

" _Hey_ _Jack_ _, um, this_ _is_ _Emma_ _here_ _._ _I_ _saw_ _the_ _race_ _on_ _TV_ _._ _Congrats_ _on_ _winning_ _it_ _.."_

Hearing her hesitant voice, which used to be cheery almost all the time, Jack's throat clenched and his heart tightened, but he forced an answer out.

"Yeah, thanks."

_"_ _So_ _......_ _where_ _are_ _you_ _right_ _now_ _?_ _Are_ _you-_ _are_ _you_ _coming_ _home_ _?"_

Ignoring the hidden plea that clearly told she missed him, Jack bit his lip before replying, trying his best to sound as emotionless as possible.

"I'm, uh, going to California- for my next race. It's in two months or so and I need to be there for my interviews, practices and such. So...."

_"_ _Oh_ _..._ _Okay_ _._ _I_ _get_ _it_ _._ _I'll-_ _I'll_ _see_ _you_ _sometime_ _,_ _then_ _._ _All_ _the_ _best_ _for_ _your_ _next_ _race_ _..._ _Bye._ _"_ And the crack in her voice was enough to tell that she was trying not to cry and that she's probably crying right now after ending the call. Jack stared at the picture he had saved for her contact. Jack bit his lip again, missing the bright smile on her face which he had not seen for over a year or so.

_Soon, it'll be over... Soon, I'll win the race and go back home to her..._

After telling that to himself, Jack switched his phone off before turning around and starting to snooze.

.....

A loud bang from outside jolted Jack awake from his slumber. Grunting in annoyance, he looked out of the window and his sleepy eyes widened when he caught sight of black creatures, looking like horses, which were made of black sand and had bright yellow eyes. These creatures were circling his bus, a look of hunger in their eyes.

Jack whipped around when his door opened, revealing a panicked Jamie who quickly grabbed a bag and started stuffing Jack's items in it.

"The heck is going on here-?"

"No time to explain. These creatures are here for you, Jack! You need to get out of here while I steer them away!" Jamie yelled, stuffing a few fruits in the bag.

"What? But we're in the middle of a damned _forest_ _!_ " Jack asked, taken aback.

"Which is where they'll find it difficult to find you! North called up and told me to send you away and make sure the horses don't spot you. So get going!" Jamie informed, pushing the bag in Jack's hands before peeping out. "Look, I'm gonna go to the front and make sure each and every horse comes to me whereas you jump out of the window and escape!"

"I can just fight them off!" Jack argued.

"These things _can't_ be fought off! Especially not in the night! Now _go!_ " And Jamie ran to the front. Jack stared at him, still uncertain but then he grabbed the window and yanked it open once all the horses ran to the front. Using his steel-black staff, he got down thanks to his wind powers and flew right into the forest without looking back.

_What_ _the_ _hell_ _..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack finds himself in an unknown place and messes up miraculously.

_God, please let Jamie be alright..._

_This is my fault... those horses were after me... I should've stayed...!_

Jack ignored his conscious and trudged on, his bag slumped on one shoulder while his staff rested against the other. He had long since given up flying, as the trees and branches kept coming in the way. But flying over the trees ould probably get him spotted so that was a no go.

He kept walking with no aim, munching on an apple which he found in the bag. He had been surprised when he had found some food and a water bottle in his bag, remembering how Jamie had thrown only his clothes and some other things which he would need, but then he realised that North must have had this arranged just in case anything happened on the way.

And knowing that he was getting nowhere, Jack had given up all hope that he would find any human habitat. He had already started thinking about what he would do later on.

Probably find a suitable branch and fall to his death.

But of course, he was just exaggerating.

_Nah, can't do that... Then I can't win the Tachyons cup... And Emma..._

Keeping that as his only reason to get out alive, he trudged on and finally, after hours of walking, Jack saw some light ahead. The corners of his lips lifted in a grin before he picked up his speed and ran ahead. And before he knew, he had started flying towards the source of the light, unaware of the strong winds he had caused behind him in his haste to get there.

His powers, which were based on his emotions, made the winds intense as too much relief and happiness washed over him. All of a sudden, his powers unknowingly started something like a mini-tornado behind him and Jack, not aware of it following him, just blindly flew towards the light.

He stopped when he saw that it was not a city, as he had hoped, but was rather an empty Ice Skating Rink, with shops all around it. Jack, flew over to the middle of the rink, looking around in confusion and _still_ not aware of the god-damned storm he had caused. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw a road right next to the rink, going through the forest. But then he grew even more confused when he heard some rustling sounds behind him.

He turned and saw that the winds he had caused had formed a mini-tornado thingy, small yet strong, and was heading right towards him. Looking around and not knowing what to do, Jack shot up into the air, and could only see the forest everywhere. He would have flown even higher to catch a glimpse of some city or something but after running for an hour, he was left exhausted and tired, and he had already eaten all the food in his bag. So, sighing in defeat, he came down a bit and tried gaining control of the tornado thing. But instead of vanishing it or at least guiding it away, he accidentally made it bigger. The winds became even stronger and started lifting up several objects. And one of them was a huge, _huge_ stone. The thing came flying and was right in the middle of the rink already.

Jack tried his best to make the winds weaker and smaller and finally, after trying a lot, the tornado became smaller and was almost vanishing, when the stone fell hard on the ice, creating a loud noise and breaking the whole rink. Jack's eyes widened when he saw the lights get switched on in the shops, and doors started opening. He looked around wildly and found his bag fallen in front of one of the shops. He quickly flew towards it, grabbed it and was just _about_ to fly away, when the door opened in front of him.

Jack gulped as he looked up, and met with wide and sleepy green eyes. The girl just stared at him for a moment, before she screamed, brought something from behind her back, and before he knew it, Jack's world turned black.

.....

_"Hey man, wake up! !"_

Jack's eyebrows furrowed. He slowly ad painfully opened his eyes and tried to sit up, but immediately regretted the attempt when his head started throbbing as if a hundred elephants had trampled all across his head. 

"Here, this helps with the pain." He heard a male voice, the same one which had irritated him to wake up. Jack looked up and saw a man with brown hair, light brown eyes and a goatee, grinning at him and holding out a tablet and a glass of water to him. Jack just raised an eyebrow but did not move to take it.

"No thanks," he muttered.

"Well, okay then. I have no problem if you die of an aching head." The guy with the goatee retorted sarcastically. Jack rolled his eyes before taking the tablets, not even thanking him.

"Who the hell are you? And where on Earth am I?" Jack asked.

"I'm Flynn Rider. And you, my friend, are in our store basement." Guy-with-goatee, called Flynn, said.

"Wow, what an amazing explanation. And why, might I ask, is my head hurting so badly?" Jack groaned.

"That would be thanks to my wife. She gets panicked very easily. And what the hell do you expect her to do when a stranger is just sitting in front of the door, right after some sorta explosion noise? Her reaction was instant, she took her Frying Pan and hit you on the head with it." Flynn shrugged.

"A Frying pan?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Her weapon. It really does come in handy in times of trouble. And I hope you have your own weapon 'cause you are in serious trouble dude." Flynn explained.

"Trouble? Me? What the hell did I do? And where are my other things?" Jack hissed, noticing that his bag and his staff were not here.

"Well, let's see. Uprooted many trees, broke all the windows of the shops thanks to the storm you caused, broke our ice rink and scared my precious wife, Rapunzel. Oh, and your items are safe with Punzie." Flynn said.

"Punzie, your wife?" Jack asked.

"Yeah-"

_"Hey Rider, is he up?"_ Another male voice from the other side of the door interrupted their conversation.

"Yup!" Flynn replied.

" _Okay then. I'll let the others know. You know where to bring him."_ The voice said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Kristoff," Flynn said, rolling his eyes before turning to Jack.

"C'mon mister rink-crasher. We've got a meeting to attend." Flynn said, pulling Jack to his feet.

"Meeting? Wha-"

"Just shut up and come." Flynn rolled his eyes before dragging the poor racer up the stairs and out of the building. Jack watched as he was dragged into another building, which happened to be the biggest around there.

The two went to the basement and Flynn gestured him to walk through a set of huge double doors. Jack raised an eyebrow but did as he was told to do. His eyes widened when he saw a bunch of people sitting on benches on either side of the hall, a table placed in the very front on a slightly raised platform, and all the people were staring directly at him. He recognised the woman with the blonde hair and green eyes from the previous night, sitting in the front next to another woman who looked about the same age as her, with strawberry blonde hair and bright turquoise eyes. There were at least five other people in the room, which made Jack nervous.

_Did I end up getting kidnapped by an isolated family or something?_

Flynn asked Jack sit on the chair placed in front of the raised platform. Warily, Jack did so and before he knew it, he was handcuffed to the chair.

"What the-"

"I wouldn't open my mouth if I were you, buddy," Said a blonde guy said, and Jack recognised his voice as the person who told Flynn to bring him down.

"What the hell is happening here?" Jack hissed.

"Well, you're held captive." Flynn shrugged.

"I can see that, I'm not blind. But why?" Jack asked.

"I think you already know the answer to that," A female voice interrupted their conversation. Flynn and Kristoff quickly got back to their seats when a tall woman, seemingly older than the other two women, with beautiful platinum blonde hair in a sophisticated bun and wearing a dark blue skirt, a dark blue blouse and a black cardigan walked in, some paper in her hands, a frown on her beautiful face and blue eyes serious and cold.

_Wow, she's gorgeous... Maybe I should just flirt with her? That's what the other trainees told would work if I ever got in trouble with a woman..._

Making up his mind, Jack quickly plastered a smirk on his face, which usually had all the fans screaming.

"Well, hello there," He said with a wink.

The woman merely raised an eyebrow before she gracefully sat on the chair behind the table on the platform, glaring down at him.

"What is your name, mister?" She asked in a cold voice.

"A wee bit harsh, are we?" He grinned. But then he blinked and his eyes widened when he saw a really _really_ sharp icicle right in front of his eyes, which made him gulp.

"Just _answer_ the damned _question_ _._ " The woman hissed.

_Well, she isn't gonna be swayed by your charms_ a voice yelled in his head. Jack's expression returned to his previous unamused and irritated one accompanied by a scowl on his face.

"Jack," he said.

"Full name," the lady hissed. Jack's scowl deepened and he was starting to hate this woman already.

"Jack Frost," he said more clearly.

"So, Jack Frost, I believe you know why you've been captured?" The woman asked.

"Geez, of course, I do. Your men gave me _plenty_ of information about why I'm here." He rolled his eyes.

"Not the sharpest sword in the armory, I see." The woman rolled her eyes, pulling the icicle away. "You've been held captive for destroying our ice rink, which is our main source of income, broke the windows of all the shops, and thanks to you, many trees aren't alive anymore and one of us had a panic attack because of your sudden appearance," She said, rolling her eyes -again- at the end.

"So?" he asked.

" _'So?'_ You, mister, are gonna be punished for the destruction you've caused," she said.

"Pfft, like I even care." He rolled his eyes.

"You will. 'Cause you won't be returning home until you finish your punishment," She smirked. Jack, though feeling all kinds of hatred for her, couldn't help but think she looked ravishing, even in those boring clothes she wore.

"What? And what exactly is my 'punishment'?" he asked, making quotation marks with his fingers.

The woman's expression became more evil and cunning, "You're gonna fix the mess you've made, that's all. And you are gonna stay and work here as a prisoner for at least six weeks!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is introduced to everyone at the rink and he reveals who he is to Elsa.

"This- Is- Not- FAIR!!" Jack huffed, sweat dripping down his forehead and neck as he swept all the broken glass shards. It had been a long time since he did any chores, but a sense of familiarity hit him as he did the work.

After that little incident at the 'meeting', Jack was taken to one of the rooms in the first building where he woke up, which he now realised was actually a hotel, and even his other items were returned. They had explained some rules he had to follow as the prisoner, and he had been threatened that if he tried to escape, he would be caught and be made to do extra work.

And after the instructions were given, he was led to the shop where he had been knocked out i.e. Flynn and his wife, Rapunzel's, bakery. He was told to fix what he had damaged, starting with cleaning the mess he had made.

And of course, along with hard work came all kinds of complaints and wails. He decided that if they're gonna force him to work then he might as well be the biggest pain in the ass. And he didn't even do the work properly. He would just hide some of the glass shards of the broken window either below the furniture or below mats and he would even just randomly throw them away outside the window.

_If only those god-damned horses hadn't attacked, I would be in California by now, preparing for my final race!_

But then another thought struck Jack: what _were_ those things? They looked like horses, but they seemed to be made of sand, which kept spilling wherever they went. And they even had strands of sand flowing behind them.

_Now_ _that_ _I_ _think_ _about_ _it_ _,_ _it_ _doesn't_ _make_ _a_ _lot_ _of_ _sense_ _._ _What_ _were_ _those_ _things_ _and_ _why_ _would_ _they_ _attack_ _us_ _?_ _Jamie_ _said_ _they_ _were_ _after_ _me_ _,_ _so_ _what_ _the_ _heck_ _did_ _I_ _do_ _?_ _They_ _were_ _not_ _sent_ _by_ _these_ _geezers_ _,_ _right_ _?_

_Nah_ _,_ _these_ _people_ _don't_ _even_ _know_ _who_ _I_ _am_ _for_ _crying_ _out_ _loud_ _!_ _And_ _look_ _at_ _what_ _they're_ _making_ _me_ _do!!_

Jack sighed before collecting glass shards again and dumped them in the dustbin.

"Well, you've done only so much and you already look so done with life." A familiar voice teased him from the doorway of the bakery. Jack rolled his eyes and didn't even bother turning to see him.

"Haha hilarious," He said, picking up the last bits.

"But seriously dude, you suck at chores. When was the last time you did any?" Flynn asked.

"Let's see... About two years?" Jack replied.

"Well, you better get your game back on, 'cause you'll be doing more than just hiding the glass shards." Flynn pointed out.

"Woohoo, lucky me!" Jack rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

Just then he heard laughter outside. He looked out of the window and spotted the green-eyed blonde woman, the strawberry-blonde turquoise-eyed woman, and the blonde guy, talking with an older couple.

"So, Flynn, care to introduce your family to me? I'm pretty sure all of them know me." Jack said, nearing the window. Flynn came and stood next to him.

"The Blondie with the long hair is my wife, Punzie, formerly known as Rapunzel Corona. Standing next to her is Anna Winters, Punzie's cousin, and next to her is Kristoff Bjorgman, Anna's boyfriend. And the older couple would be Punzie's parents, Frederic and Ariana Corona." Flynn explained.

"And those other people who were there at the meeting?" Jack asked. And just then a family of five, four redheaded and one brunette, arrived and joined the conversation.

"The redheaded family? The woman with the long, brown hair would be Elinor Dunbroch. Then her husband Fergus Dunbroch, the head of the family. And their first child, Merida Dunbroch, is the adventurous one and no one has beat her in an archery competition yet. And then the triplets, Harish, Hamish, and Hubert, who can't be said apart by anyone except Merida and Elinor, are the naughty and mischievous ones. Be careful around those guys. They would've pranked you and you wouldn't even know that you're their victim," Flynn warned.

"And what about _her_ _?_ " Jack rolled his eyes as the last person, the one who had punished him, walked over to the gathering families and sat with them.

"Watch your tone, Frost. That's Elsa Winters, Anna's older sister. She's the temporary head of the place. The actual one has gone out somewhere. She treats everyone like family and she's serious almost all the time. You see her smile only when she's being polite or when she's around Anna and Punzie. I was actually surprised at the evil grin she gave you back at the meeting." Flynn said.

"Oh," Jack said, not impressed by the story.

"But I gotta admit, you've got some guts there. I mean, you don't even know her and you just straight up went on to flirt with her. And even when she threatened you, you were glaring right back at her," Flynn smirked.

"Seriously? Well-" and then Jack stopped, remembering something, "Wait, where did that icicle even come from?" He asked.

"Oh, that? This area isn't exactly safe so all of us have our own weapons. And that icicle would be Elsa's. She has it tucked in her sleeves, as she always wears full sleeves. It might look thin and small but is terrifyingly sharp that she could cut off your head without even using much energy." Flynn said casually.

"Weapons huh?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. All of us have our own."

"Wow, sounds like you guys are auditioning for the Avengers or something." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Well, enough about us. Tell me something about you," Flynn said, turning away from the window and leaning against the wall next to it. Jack held up his hands, backing up.

"Never one for back-stories. Not exactly the person who would trust anyone." He said.

"Well, at least what do you work as?" Flynn asked. Jack just stared at him blankly, before he started chuckling.

"After being in my career for two years now, you are probably the first who has asked that. Well, nonetheless, I am Jack Frost, one of the finalists for the Tachyons Cup," he said, and the pride and ego were clearly seen in his eyes.

"A Tachyons Cup finalist huh?" Flynn's expression became unamused and cold, which greatly surprised Jack. "Well, let's hope luck is on your side this time. And when is the race?" Flynn asked.

"Two months later. Aka just two weeks after this so-called punishment of mine ends." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Oh, wait, when was the last race?" Flynn asked.

"The night I landed up here" Jack replied.

"Isn't the stadium really far from here? What were you even doing around this area?"

"I was leaving for my flight to California on the same night my semifinals ended. And on the way-"

_I_ _can't_ _let him_ _know_ _about_ _the_ _attack_ _..._

"-uh, there were some problems and I ended up running through the forest and then come here when I saw some light after an hour of running."

"What kind of problems?" Flynn raised an eyebrow.

"Um," Jack hesitated, looking away from the brunette.

"Stop trying to pry him about his personal info Rider. It's not exactly cool." Kristoff's voice cut in, startling both the men.

"Dude, where the heck did you come from?" Flynn asked, glancing back and forth from Kris, standing in front of them, to where he was previously standing with Anna and the others.

"Let's see... How about the front door?" He commented dryly.

"Yeah yeah" Flynn rolled his eyes. Kristoff didn't say anything before he turned his attention to Jack.

"Hi, I'm Kristoff Bjorgman. Nice to meet you," Kristoff held out his hand.

"Yeah, Flynn told me. I'm Jack Frost," he replied, shaking the blonde's hand.

"So, you were running through the forest and ended up here huh?" Kristoff asked.

"Just how long were you eavesdropping on us?" Flynn's eyes narrowed.

"Long enough to know that he's a Tachyons cup finalist and was leaving but then got lost and came here instead," Kris shrugged.

"You eavesdropper-"

"So..." Jack cut Flynn off mid-sentence, "how did _you_ guys end up here? I mean, you are Punzie's husband and _you_ are just Anna's boyfriend, right? Assuming _they're_ the family owning the place, how come you guys live here? Did you grow up here or...?" Jack trailed off.

"Really long story, man. Don't have enough time right now. Let's just say that once we fell for the girls, we decided all of us will be happier if we moved in here, though we saw no problem in it." Kristoff shrugged.

"So you are telling me that you guys live here just for your loved one's sake?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with that?" Flynn asked, looking offended.

"Nothing, it's just that I feel romance is just a waste of time, that's all."

"Uh huh. Says the guy who flirted with a girl he didn't even know," Kristoff commented.

"Just because I flirt doesn't mean I like the girl or that means anything." Jack shrugged.

"So you're a player?" Kristoff raised an eyebrow.

"Nah, players are the dumb guys who play with girls' feelings while being in a relationship. I'm just the type of guy who would flirt with the gorgeous ones, get them interested in me and then let them down slow and nice. A little fun never hurt anyone." Jack smirked.

_That's literally the worst lie I've ever told. Being that kinda person is just... gross and overrated._

"That's just a pathetic excuse for your behaviour, Frost," A familiar female voice interrupted them and Jack internally groaned when Elsa walked in, followed by her sister, cousin and the red-headed friend.

"You might wanna think before talking," Jack commented dryly.

"Ooh, Mr Frost is warning me, I'm so terrified" Elsa shot back sarcastically, which just made Jack angrier. "And look who's talking about thinking before talking," Elsa rolled her eyes before glaring at him, which was gladly returned by Jack whose glare matched her own.

"Okay..." Rapunzel trailed off awkwardly, stepping in between the two. "How about we cool things down here?" She suggested. Elsa rolled her eyes before she calmly walked to the storeroom of the shop.

"I'm Rapunzel Fitzherbert, Eugene's wife," said Rapunzel, offering her hand. Jack shook it, but his eyebrows dipped in confusion.

"Fitzherbert? Eugene? I thought you were Flynn's wife" said Jack, glancing back and forth from the blonde and the brunette.

"I am. Flynn Rider is just a name he kept for himself, his actual name is Eugene Fitzherbert." She grinned, rolling her eyes as she _knew_ he would introduce himself using his other name, something he does all the time. Flynn just groaned.

"Seriously? A fake name?" Jack snickered, deciding that these people weren't all that bad. But that didn't mean he trusted them completely.

"Hey, it's cool! And it's not fake! And don't tell me you've never used a different name yourself, Mr Popular," Flynn accused.

"Guilty as charged," Jack shrugged.

"See? I'm not the only one who uses different names!" Flynn accused.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and smacked his arm, which made him pout and rub it.

"Yeah, yeah, flirt once you get inside your bedroom." The strawberry blonde rolled her eyes before holding out her hand. "Hey, I am Anna Winters. A pleasure to meet you."

"Oh no, the pleasure's all mine" Jack smiled and winked playfully, shaking her hand.

"Don't you even _think_ of flirting with my sister Frost," Elsa threatened, now approaching them, holding a box in her hand. Anna quickly walked towards her sister, grabbed the box, opened it and popped a chocolate into her mouth.

"I wasn't, Ms Overprotective," Jack shot back.

She ignored him and turned to her sisters with a smile. "We got what we needed. Let's go" said Elsa, now pushing Punzie and Anna out of the shop before the three of them headed to Merida's house.

"You're gonna be staying here for six weeks Frost. You might as well get on her good side." Flynn commented.

"Which reminds me, I still have to talk to her about my so-called punishment. See ya," he said, hurrying out. He looked around and spotted the three women walking towards a building and ran towards them.

"Hey, wait up!" he yelled, running behind them. The three of them stopped and turned around, and Elsa quickly scowled when she saw Jack running towards them.

"How may I help you?" Elsa asked in an exhausted voice.

"I wanted to talk to you. Alone" Jack panted. But unknown to the two of them, Anna and Punzie's eyes widened.

"About what exactly?" Elsa asked.

"It's about my so-called punishment."

"I don't know what's there to talk about. I clearly told you-"

"It's really important," He cut her off.

Elsa's scowl deepened but she forced herself to nod. She turned her head to her sisters and her eyebrows dipped in confusion when she saw them having weird dreamy expressions.

"What are you girls staring at? Get going, I'll join you later." Elsa said.

The two women snapped from their trance and nodded, before walking away with wide grins plastered on their faces. But instead of going into the house, they just hid behind a nearby tree and spied on the two.

"What is it?" Elsa asked now.

"Not here. Come on, let's go to your place."

And before she could even blink, Jack grabbed her hand and pulled her into the building which he knew was her house, thanks to Flynn.

"Did you see that?" Anna asked, not averting her eyes from the two walking figures.

"I most definitely did," Rapunzel whispered. 

And once Jack and Elsa went inside, Rapunzel and Anna looked at each other with wide eyes, before both spoke the same words at the same time.

"I ship it!"

.....

"Let go of me you bastard!" Elsa hissed, pulling her hand away from his grasp once they entered. "And who even gave you the permission to enter my house, more or less _told_ you that this is my house?!" she yelled.

"Geez, would it hurt to calm down?! Now can we please talk?" Jack asked. "And for the record, I saw you come in and go out of the house plenty of times so I assumed it was yours."

"Fine... Now tell me, what did you want to know about the punishment?" Elsa asked, sitting down on the couch while Jack took a seat opposite to her.

"You've ordered me to stay here for six weeks to fix all the mess I made. But I don't have much time, okay? I need to be in California for something really important. I was actually on my way to the airport the night I got caught here, but some problems arose and I ended up getting lost in the forest," Jack explained.

Elsa just stared at him before she started chuckling.

"What kind of an idiot are you Frost? The nearby airport hasn't been open for the past two months, and there's a notice plastered on its front gate that it won't be open for another year or so. How do you suppose you could've flown to California from an airport which doesn't have any planes or which isn't even open?" Elsa asked. Jack was completely taken-aback and Elsa could see he wasn't faking it.

"WHAT?" he yelled. Elsa just raised an eyebrow but said nothing else.

_So_ _that's_ _why those horses were waiting for us! Whoever sent them knew we were going there and we were tricked into going through this forest!_

"Um, hello? Earth to Frost?" Elsa waved her hand in front of his face, which made him snap out of his thoughts. "So what is this important business you have at California?" she asked.

"I'm one of the finalists for the Tachyons Cup and the final tournament is gonna take place at California this year," he said proudly, smirking smugly. He expected her to swoon and quickly start flirting with him or at least be shocked that she's been treating a Tachyons Cup finalist like shit this whole time.

But what he _didn't_ expect happened as Elsa's eyes widened, fear flashing in those wide, sapphire blue eyes. She backed away a little, but then quickly composed herself.

"O-oh," she said, looking down at her hands.

_What's all that about?_

"So you see, I need to be there at least three weeks before the race. And if I stay here for six weeks, I'm gonna be a whole week late for the race," he continued, speaking just a bit softer.

"Okay then, you're gonna stay here only till you fix everything you've done. Even if you finish your work within a week, you can leave," she said.

"I'm okay with that but do I really have to fix everything?" Jack asked, kinda happy and annoyed at the same time.

"Yes," she said without even a second's gap. 

Jack raised an eyebrow but then sighed and stood.

"Fine then. See ya." He walked out but then paused at the door and looked back. Elsa was still staring at her hands and didn't even look up at him. Jack just slowly closed the door before walking towards Flynn's shop again, to keep the things away before heading for dinner.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack makes the mistake of trying to escape.

_~The Next_ _Day~_

"Jack? You up?" Flynn's voice was heard from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, just gimme a minute" Jack quickly put on his leather jacket and walked out before following Flynn to the main hall for breakfast.

"Fill yourself as much as you can. You're gonna be working a lot today," Flynn commented.

"On what, exactly?" Jack asked.

"The Rink. We need to start fixing it or you're never going home. And besides, the head will be arriving tomorrow and he would expect at least a little bit of work done" Flynn informed.

"The head?" Jack asked in confusion.

"Yeah. The actual head, the commander, the boss of this place. So you better eat up quick buddy, I still need to introduce you to Bessie, with whom you'll be working with later on" Flynn said as the two started eating.

"Bessie? A girl?" Jack smirked, internally cringing at his own behaviour.

"You'll know," Flynn commented as the others joined them.

.....

" _This_ is _Bessie?!?_ " Jack exclaimed, staring in shock as Flynn pulled out an old Zamboni Ice Resurfacer. Flynn smirked as he stopped it outside the garage, just a few feet away from the ice rink's boundary.

"Oh yes! Jack, meet Bessie. Bessie, meet Jack, your new partner!" Flynn introduced.

"Seriously?!" Jack yelled.

"Yup. Well, do you know how to use a Resurfacer?" Flynn asked.

"Never had the need to learn," Jack shrugged.

Flynn sighed, exhausted with his attitude before he led Jack away from the Resurfacer.

"First let's start with removing all the broken ice from the rink." And he led Jack to the wide space which was covered with cracked ice. Jack whistled at how bad it looked before he yelped when Flynn threw something like a pole with a pointed end.

"The heck am I supposed to do with this?!" Jack exclaimed.

" _You_ are gonna use that pole, insert it in between the cracks to lift the ice and throw them outside the rink," Flynn smirked.

"Don't you have a machine for that as well?" Jack asked.

"We do, but it doesn't work currently so we have to go with this method." Flynn shrugged.

"Do I _have_ to lift the ice? I mean, we can always let it melt and then freeze it again." Jack pointed out.

"That's what we do most of the time, but the thing is you don't _have_ any time. This place is cold literally all the time, except in summer, which means the ice takes hell lotta time to melt down. You want to finish it as quick as possible, right? Then this is the only way." Flynn replied.

"Fine," Jack muttered. "This is gonna be a piece of cake."

.....

"God damn it! Just how big _is_ this rink?" Jack groaned, throwing off the twentieth chunk of ice off the rink. He had been working all morning and afternoon, and not even half of the rink was over. He huffed for the hundredth time, digging the pole between two cracks and putting all his strength in breaking the ice. "Can't you at least help me with this?" He looked up at Flynn, who was sitting on a bench outside the rink, ice cream in hand as he watched Jack.

"Your mess, you clean." Flynn shrugged.

"What a great attitude," Jack shot back, rolling his eyes.

"Look who's talking about attitude," Flynn retorted.

Jack rolled his eyes, about to reply with something sarcastic when both of them heard a car honk.

Flynn quickly got up and greeted the man who got out of the car. The two of them spoke for a few minutes before Flynn gestured Jack to come over. Raising an eyebrow, Jack walked over, wiping the sweat on his forehead.

The man was taller than Jack and Flynn, almost as tall as North. His hair looked brighter and more silvery than Jack's but unlike his own hair, the man's hair was neatly swept back. His skin looked pale and his blue eyes intimidated him, though Jack hid it well. His lips were in a thin line, making him look even more emotionless than Elsa herself. He wore a white tux with a white tie and basically everything about this guy was white.

_Who_ _IS_ _this_ _guy_ _?_

"Mr Moon, this is Jack Frost, the one Elsa told you about. Jack, this is Manny Moon, the Head of this place," Flynn introduced. Jack's eyes widened but he quickly recovered, shaking hands with the intimidating man. Moon barely looked at him, before he turned back to Flynn.

"Where is Elsa?" He asked.

"The last I saw her was with Anna and Rapunzel," Flynn informed. Manny nodded in thanks before he walked off, not bothering to look at Jack.

"What's his problem?" Jack asked once he was out of earshot.

"Better be careful around him Frost. Manny has got a kind heart, but he can be very scary at times. Everyone around here loves and respects him since he's kind with everyone. Well, everyone except Elsa," Flynn explained.

"Except Elsa? Why? I thought she would be his favourite seeing how both of them behave the same way," Jack questioned.

"I better not tell you that tale if I want to stay alive to see tomorrow. If you ever get on Elsa's good side, you can ask her yourself. But lemme tell you just one thing, the Elsa you know and the Elsa I know are completely different. And the Elsa I know is the real one." Flynn grinned.

_The_ _heck_ _is_ _that_ _even_ _supposed_ _to_ _mean_ _?_

"Now get back to work Frost." And the brunette pushed the racer back to the rink.

.....

_This_ _is_ _my_ _only_ _chance_ _..._

Jack snuck behind the buildings, sneakily heading to where he had his bag previously when no one was seeing. He grinned to himself once he slung his bag on his shoulder and grabbed his staff. He silently flew between the trees in no particular direction and cheered silently when he found a road. Mentally patting himself on his back, Jack flew right above the road, hoping the end of the road would be connected to the main road.

_I can't_ _believe_ _I_ _escaped_ _so_ _easily_ _..._

And before he could take a turning, he dashed into something, which threw him back and he fell on his butt. Groaning as he rubbed his forehead, he looked up and his eyes widened as big as saucers when he saw Elsa and Flynn standing before him, the former wearing the unamused expression she always wore while Flynn stood with a smug expression.

"Did you seriously think you can escape from up so easily? Did you take us for fools?" Elsa asked.

"But- but how-"

"Did you never wonder why Elsa appointed me out of everyone to watch you and to stay by your side?" Flynn asked.

"Because you're jobless?" Jack rolled his eyes.

"He's far from being 'jobless'. Flynn's job is one of the most important ones around here." Elsa informed.

"Really? You want me to believe that?" Jack raised an eyebrow. His eyebrows furrowed when Elsa bent closer to his face, placing her hands on her knees.

"You're not the only one with powers, Frost. Flynn has an ability to sense everyone's movements, or at least the people around him. He has immense stealth skills as well. Which makes it obvious how we know you left," Elsa explained before stepping back.

"Yeah, you're right. It was silly of me to think that I'm the only one with powers here. But flying isn't my only power," he said cunningly, staring at the ground.

Ice suddenly shot out of his staff and almost knocked them off their feet, but Flynn and Elsa quickly regained their balance. Jack took this small disturbance to his advantage and got to his feet. He aimed his staff at Flynn, ice and frost shooting out only to knock out the guy, not cause any serious harm. But then his eyes widened yet again when he saw his ice crash against something and fall around him. And his jaw dropped when he saw Elsa standing in front of Flynn with her hand outstretched.

_She_ _has_ _ice_ _powers_ _as_ _well_ _..._

"Enough of this shit already. Take him," Elsa commanded. Flynn walked forward and Jack was about to attack him again when thick-ice bound his hands and legs together, letting his staff fall to the floor. Jack struggled, trying to control the ice using his hands but it remained unaffected. 

_I_ _can't_ _control_ _her_ _ice_ _?_

And while Jack sat in confusion, Flynn quickly lifted him and threw him on his shoulder, carrying the poor racer like a bag of potatoes.

"No! Let me go! Ugh, I am gonna make sure you all are sent to prison for treating me like this!" Jack growled.

"Good luck with that sweety." Elsa rolled her eyes before the three made their way back to the rink.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack has a proper conversation with Elsa, and Anna and Rapunzel decide to interfere a little.

"I can't believe you! You actually tried to _escape_ _??_ " Kristoff rolled with laughter when he heard the news from Flynn.

"You must be crazy if you thought you could escape the place with Flynn and Elsa keeping watch!" Merida grinned smugly when Jack glared at her.

"Well, excuse me for trying to escape from this hell!" Jack hissed.

"You are probably the only one who would call this place hell," Anna pointed out.

"Whatever" Jack rolled his eyes, sipping the coffee which Flynn offered.

"Well, you better eat up fast. You've still got work to do." Flynn smirked, just when Jack groaned loudly and dramatically buried his face in his arms, which caused the others to laugh. Jack looked up, looking at everyone's happy faces and felt his heart grow warm, just a bit.

"Ooh, somebody looks especially happy today..." Anna cooed. wiggling her eyebrows. 

Elsa rolled her eyes as she came and stood next to their table.

"Nothing like that. I just came to tell that Mr Moon wanted to talk to Punzie and you," she told Anna before turning to Merida. "Your mom was searching for you, telling that your brothers caused trouble again and she needs your help." Then she turned to Kristoff, "Oaken's called up and informed that our supplies are ready so please go and collect them as soon as possible. I'm sure Sven would love to run through the forest after so many days"

Rapunzel, Anna, Merida, and Kristoff groaned and sighed before they started heading in different directions. And finally, Elsa turned to Flynn, with a smirk on her face.

"I'm sure you know what your job is" she grinned, before glancing over at Jack who had an annoyed expression plastered on his face.

"Well, _I_ don't," he bit out.

" _You_ are gonna continue removing the broken ice, fill the rink with water and cover the place for it to freeze," she replied.

"And after that?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure you deserve a bit of rest after that, so once you finish that, you can probably look around the place or just head back to your room to rest while the water freezes over," She informed. Elsa opened her mouth to say something but then her wristwatch beeped, causing Elsa to look at it before she returned her gaze back on the two men. "Well, I've got some work to do. Good day." and she was off to who-knows-where.

"Does she always dress up and talk so formally?" Jack asked Flynn after making sure that Elsa was far enough.

"She can't help it. Elsa's always been this way. To be honest, I don't even remember the last time I heard her laugh out loud. Its difficult being in her shoes. Having to manage all of us and learning all about running this place from a very young age has changed her, though we do hope its temporary," Flynn explained.

Jack looked down with a thoughtful expression, having another argument with himself in his head.

_Everyone has their situations, huh..._

_Wait, I can't be sympathizing with her! I need to get out of her as fast as possible and attend the race!_

Soon enough, Jack left the dining hall alongside Flynn, but his eyes treacherously glanced back, stealing a glance at the secretive platinum-blonde.

_But still... She is a pretty mysterious person..._

.....

"Hey, Frost! I'm gonna go and get myself something to drink! You want anything?!?" Flynn yelled from the other side of the rink.

"Yeah sure!!" Jack yelled back, throwing the last chunk of ice off the rink.

The afternoon sun shone brightly right above him and Jack placed the ice-breaking-pole on the ground, sitting next to all the huge chunks of ice just outside the rink on the ground. Breathing heavily, he wiped the sweat on his forehead using his jacket which he had tied around his waist when it started becoming too hot. His gaze became unamused and relieved when he saw the thin bottom layer of ice melt under the heat. He fell backwards on the snow, sighing in content and closing his eyes when he felt his aching back finally attain rest.

"Got tired, did you?"

Jack's eyes snapped open, his head turning to the side when he heard the familiar female voice which brought a sarcastic smile on his face.

"Nope, not at all. Because cracking the ice and throwing it all over the place is _so_ easy." He rolled his eyes.

Elsa walked over and stood next to him just as he sat up, staring at the cracked up rink in front of him.

"Haha, hilarious. I'm still surprised that you didn't use your powers to remove the ice or to at least lift the ice and throw it here" Elsa tilted her head in confusion.

"My powers are _precious_ _._ I'm not gonna use them just to do this kinda stuff," he groaned.

"Wow, what an amazing excuse," Elsa rolled her eyes.

Jack glanced at her face once and found her staring at the rink as well, the sunshine falling perfectly on her platinum-blonde hair, which was pulled into its usual sophisticated bun, and on her big blue eyes. Unintentionally, he continued staring until he remembered something.

"Though I don't know why _you_ don't use your powers to clean this rink and to make another one" he stated.

"Unlike you, I have actual reasons which are too personal," she replied, her face as emotionless as ever.

"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow, getting further confused when he saw a sudden strike of sadness in her eyes. Elsa shook her head lightly before looking down at him again.

"Whatever. You're sweating like a pig. Here" and she held out her hand, a small white towel in her hand.

"Um, thanks?" He took the towel from her before placing it at the back of his neck to wipe the sweat, raising an eyebrow yet again. "So nice of you to show kindness towards me."

"Just because you're a prisoner doesn't mean I'm gonna let you die, Frost." Elsa rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to tell something when her watch started beeping. "Well, I gotta go. Continue your work. See you later." And she turned away from him, walking back in the direction she came from.

Jack stood up, his eyes narrowing when he saw something hiding behind the scarf she wore around her neck. He silently followed behind, sneaking a peek at it. And when he was close enough, his eyes widened when he saw the mark on her neck.

"Is that a snowflake tattoo?" He asked out loud, expecting her to ignore him and walk away.

What he did _not_ expect was her quickly turning around to face him, her hand shooting up to cover the left side of the nape of her neck, her calm demeanor vanishing in thin air. Jack's eyebrows rose in amusement and a smirk made its way to his lips when he saw an adorable blush appearing on her face.

"W-what?! O-of course not!"

Jack's smirk widened as he leaned closer to her. "Did the snow queen just get herself a tattoo?"

Elsa leaned back, her blush intensifying which just made Jack want to torture her more. "No, its not a tattoo!"

"Oh, _really?_ " He drawled, leaning close to her neck as if to take a look.

Elsa jumped away from him, tightening her scarf around her neck before turning away abruptly. "I have work!" And she ran off.

Jack just continued watching her go, his smirk melting into a smile.

 _I_ _gotta_ _admit_ _,_ _she_ _is_ _kinda_ _cute_ _..._

Suddenly slapped in the face by reality, Jack's eyes widened in shock.

 _I_ _did_ _NOT_ _just_ _think_ _that_ _!_

He looked around in panic, checking if anyone is around him before he hit himself on his head.

 _I need to stop_ _thinking_ _shit_ _like_ _that_ _!_ _This_ _is_ _not_ _like_ _me_ _!!_

"Um, you okay?"

Jack jumped, startled as he spun around and met with Flynn's confused gaze.

"H-huh?" Was all he could muster.

"You started hitting yourself pretty hard so did anything happen or...." Flynn trailed off.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing happened. Just gimme my drink." He quickly grabbed one of the bottles from Flynn's hand and started gulping it down really fast.

"No wait-"

And Jack screamed as he fell in fits of cough, holding his dying throat and regretting gulping down the Sprite.

"Well," Flynn, whistled. "Rest in peace."

.....

"How exactly _do_ you control this thing?" Jack asked, pointing at the various buttons before him.

Once he got over his coughs, thanks to a glass of water, Jack was led to the building closest to the rink, which he later found out was where the buttons controlling the rink pipes were placed. And to say he was mind blown was an understatement, seeing the number of buttons and controls just for pouring water in the rink.

"It's complicated. Took me three years to learn it completely" Flynn stated.

"Why do you even _need_ so many controls? I mean, can't you just take a bucket, carry the water from a lake or something and pour it in here?" Jack asked.

"Are you sure you're a professional skater and racer?" Flynn asked.

"Of course I am!" Jack retorted.

"Well, then it seems like your brain has not been used for a long time" Flynn commented, earning a glare from Jack. "And to answer your question, first of all, lake water when frozen doesn't exactly look good in a rink and second of all, if you're ready to get the water from miles away, I _can_ offer you a bucket." Flynn grinned, to which Jack muttered a 'no thank you'.

"I don't think I have the time to learn about these damned buttons so can you please release the water?" Jack asked.

"Sure thing." And the brunette started pressing various buttons which worried Jack.

"Um, are you sure that's how it's done? You look like a maniac who's trying every button he sees," Jack commented, stepping back. 

Flynn didn't reply, continuing to press the buttons when-

 **_BOOM_ ** **_!!_ **

"What the hell did you just do?" Jack asked, eyes wide in surprise and shock. Flynn was staring at his hands and at the controls, shock creeping through his veins.

"What happened?!?" Rapunzel, Anna, and Merida ran in before the former slapped her own forehead.

"How many times have I told you to _not_ meddle with the controls?" She hissed, pulling her husband by his ear.

"Not my fault! I pressed them correctly but it still exploded!" Flynn accused, pointing at the controls.

"And he said he had learnt everything," Jack muttered to himself, watching the couple in amusement.

"Don't tell me its Eugene again." Elsa stepped in, sighing as she walked over to the controls. "What did you do this time?"

"I swear I pressed the buttons in the right order!" Flynn defended himself.

"And the speed?" She asked in a determined voice. Flynn opened his mouth, pausing as he thought over it. Elsa sighed again before turning to Jack. "What actually happened here?"

Trying to forget the last time they spoke, Jack cleared his throat before he looked her in the eye.

"After finishing the work at the rink, Flynn brought me to this building, telling that we need to fill the rink with water right now. I was too confused with the controls so I asked him if he could do it, only because he told me that he knows what to do since, apparently, he had been learning for three years. So I moved away and let him control the buttons. But he started going too fast and I backed away and well, you know the rest." Jack shrugged.

Elsa continued to stare at him, trying to figure out if he was lying, but Jack determinedly stared back at her eyes.

And while these two continued their intense staring contest, Anna and Rapunzel watched them with wide eyes, mistaking the stare to be the type where the couple is unable to get their eyes off their soulmate.

"Anna? Control yourself," Punzie whispered to the strawberry-blonde, her eyes still stuck on the pair.

"It's taking up all my energy to hold back but I'll manage. And do. Not. Fangirl," Anna whispered back.

Finally convinced that he was saying the truth, Elsa looked away, closing her eyes. Jack smirked, telling himself that he did have chances of getting his point across to her.

"Open the hatch, Flynnie," Elsa muttered.

"But the damned thing is too heavy and-"

Elsa glared at Flynn, who quickly shut his mouth and walked to the corner of the room, starting to lift up a trapdoor. He struggled, opening only a bit of it.

"Here, lemme help." Jack walked and stood opposite to Flynn, grabbing the other handle.

He heard a faint 'thanks' from Flynn but he was too busy concentrating on lifting up the heavy door. The two kept struggling and after a few seconds, they had lifted the door almost halfway up.

"How...can a damned d-door...be so heavy!?!" Jack hissed, using all his strength to lift it up.

"Never knew...never cared..." Flynn replied, sweating profusely as he continued tugging it up.

"Oh get over it already!" Anna growled, walking over to them.

She grabbed the door with one hand and swung open it with so much force that the door crashed on the floor in a loud bang. Jack and Flynn, who had quickly retreated their hands to cover their ears when the door went flying, just stared at Anna who didn't even seem to break a sweat.

"W-whoa..." Jack whispered, his eyes still wide in shock and awe.

"That's our Anna for you," Rapunzel smirked.

"Good job Anna" Elsa smiled, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder.

Anna smiled back confidently, grabbing a ladder from nearby and lowering it in the passageway.

"Its gonna take some time for me to fix it so you guys can go back," Elsa informed before she vanished down the passage.

"Sure!" Merida replied before she marched out.

"Be back soon!" Anna called out, her voice echoing in the passage.

"Where exactly is she going?" Jack asked, still staring at the hole.

"To fix the pipes from below, obviously." Merida rolled her eyes. She opened the door of the cabin and left.

"But why her? Why can't anyone else go to fix the pipes?" Jack asked.

"'Cause there's no one else who knows this place better than Elsa and Mr Moon. And besides, since this rink was created by our grandmother who had ice powers, the pipes are made of ice very similar to Elsa's." Anna explained.

"Trust me, the place is freakin cold!" Flynn exaggerated, still sitting on the floor.

"Seriously?" Jack continued staring at the hole.

"Yeah, it goes all the way down and the first time I set foot on the floor, I almost froz- woah!" Flynn stumbled, losing his balance as he tried standing up but ended up crashing into Jack, who slipped and fell down the hole.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel called out just as Anna caught Flynn before he fell down the hole, but Jack was already heard falling down the pit.

"Well, that just happened," Flynn commented, still staring at the hole as Anna and Punzie continued gaping at the hole.

"Jack and Elsa are down the passage," Anna whispered so that only Punzie could hear her, though she was still staring at the hole.

"All alone," Punzie continued.

"Where there's less space."

"And less light."

"And he might come out if we're not fast enough," Anna realised. The girls gasped before they rushed to the door and shut the hole, grinning evilly while Flynn just stared at the two in confusion.

"Jack and Elsa are still down there, you know?" Flynn pointed out.

"Which is exactly why we closed the door." Rapunzel and Anna smirked.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Elsa finally spend some time alone.

Jack managed to catch himself upright using his powers, but he couldn't control his powers properly since he didn't have his staff, which meant that he wasn't able to hold himself in the air for long. He quickly grabbed on to the ladder and started climbing up.

_This_ _passage_ _sure_ _is_ _small_ _..._

He reached the top and groaned when he found the door closed. He tried pushing it but quickly retreated his hands when he started losing balance on the ladder.

_Why_ _is_ _this_ _door_ _so_ _damn_ _heavy_ _and_ _WHY_ _IS_ _THERE_ _SO_ _LITTLE_ _SPACE_ _IN_ _HERE_ _?_

Groaning to himself, Jack started climbing down and quickly reached the bottom. He walked forward carefully, looking around the small passage, just before he slipped and fell. He groaned to himself as he stood up, trying to look for a way out, with no success.

_What_ _the_ _hell_ _am_ _I_ _gonna_ _do_ _now_ _?_

Jack just stood there, trying to think of a solution until he heard some sort of sound coming from ahead. Forgetting about his current situation, he walked on and found Elsa doing something, crystal-clear pipes visible on the high ceiling.

"Wow, that ice sure looks gorgeous," Jack called out.

Elsa snapped her attention towards his voice before her annoyed expression returned again.

"What are you doing down here, Frost?" She asked, turning back to her work.

"Woah, is it wrong for me to help someone out?" He joked and he walked closer.

" _You_ helping someone out? Hard to believe." Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Geez, I'm not _that_ bad! I'm just selective about the people I wanna help." Jack shrugged.

"Wow, I must be honoured that I'm added in that list." Elsa mocked him.

"Look, the only reason I'm here is that Flynn Freakin Rider managed to trip over his own feet and pushed me down the hole. Not because I wanna help you or anything" Jack muttered, staring at the pipes.

"Oh really? Is that so? 'Cause I remember you asking me whether it was wrong for you to help me," Elsa commented.

"I was _joking_ _."_

"Yeah, _right_ _._ "

"Whatever, the door is closed which means you're stuck with me right now. Isn't there another way to go up there? I'm not able to open it from the top of the ladder." Jack informed.

"The most famous person in the world is unable to open a door. Quite some news, isn't it?" Elsa smirked.

"I'm a _racer_ _,_ not a wrestler or damned bodybuilder." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Well, if that's the case then how about you help me?"

Jack snapped his eyes back at her to check whether she was being serious. And when he saw that she wasn't joking, he quickly held up his hands in the universal sign of surrender.

"This job needs _ice_ _powers_ _._ I'm not really good at it, even with my staff in my hands. I prefer using my wind magic more." He shrugged. Elsa turned away, staring at the pipes as she spoke.

"You should be lucky that you've got two powers. It's not common to see people possessing two magical powers," Elsa whispered, though her voice was heard loud and clear in the small space.

"Well, it is a blessing sometimes but according to me, my ice powers are completely useless. I would've preferred something more powerful like fire or darkness or even-"

"Any magical power can be powerful if you use it in the right way." And with that, Elsa stayed silent and continued to work on the pipes.

"Well you sure do take this seriously," he mumbled to himself as he kicked a stone. "So, how can I help?" He asked, walking towards her.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"I've got nothing else to do. I don't think the others will be coming to our rescue anytime soon" Jack shrugged.

"Fine then. Just hold the broken pipes while I join them using my ice," Elsa explained, signalling him to stand next to her.

"Sounds pretty simple. Like this, right?" He held two of the broken sides of the pipe, looking over at her for confirmation. Whereas Elsa just stared at him with wide eyes before she started cracking up. "What's so funny?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"You do realise that you're holding two different pipes and not two broken sides of the same pipe, right? One of them is as thick as a pumpkin while the other is thinner than my pinkie" She continued chuckling.

Jack blinked before he stared at the pipes. Indeed, now that he actually saw it, both of them were completely different ones. Though embarrassed and pissed, he looked up and glanced at her laughing face.

_Fine_ _,_ _I_ _admit_ _,_ _she_ _is_ _pretty_ _cute_ _..._

"What the hell are you staring at?" Elsa asked teasingly as she nudged him.

"I don't think I've seen such a more beautiful smile than yours," He flirted. "You should smile more often."

At that moment he realised that ass much as he hated flirting and did it just because his trainers told him to, that compliment was something that he actually meant.

Jack expected some sassy reply but was instead met with a drop in her expression when she realised what he meant. Her face which was full of mirth just seconds ago was completely emotionless by now.

"Get back to work," she mumbled and grabbed the actual other end of one of the pipes, which she handed over to Jack. She groaned loudly when she saw the way he was holding it. "Don't you know how to hold ice?! Its gonna break if you grip it like that!" She exclaimed before she pulled one of the pipes from his hands. She grabbed his hand, startling Jack, and turned it over so that his palm was facing upwards and gently placed the pipe in his hand.

And while she was concentrating on the pipe, Jack's eyes were wide as he stared at her. When exactly was the last time he held hands with someone?

_Her_ _hands_ _sure_ _are_ _cold_ _..._

"Do the same with your other hand," she ordered.

"H-huh?" Jack blinked.

_Get_ _yourself_ _together_ _!!_

"The pipe, dummy!" Elsa scolded.

"Right!" Jack mumbled as he placed his hand below the pipe and not on it.

Elsa stood in front of him so that she could freeze the pipe together again. Jack glanced at her face one more time, seeing the emotionless look again.

_So_ _what_ _could_ _I_ _possibly_ _do_ _to_ _get_ _her_ _in_ _a_ _good_ _mood_ _?_ _It_ _was_ _my_ _fault_ _for_ _getting_ _her_ _sad_ _after all_ _..._

_Woah, wait_ _the_ _frick_ _up_ _, from when_ _the_ _heck_ _did_ _I_ _start_ _caring_ _about_ _**her**_ _feelings_ _?!_

Jack bit his lip, glancing at her once again.

_I_ _don't_ _like seeing her so dull... So who cares?_ _Now_ _let's_ _see_ _,_ _how_ _to_ _make_ _her_ _smile_ _..._

Jack hid his grin when he remembered what happened that afternoon. He tried peeking into her scarf and smirked when he caught sight of the black mark.

"So... A snowflake, huh?" He asked as casually as possible.

The reaction was instant.

Elsa's face turned pink, her left hand rising up to cover it up as she stared at him with wide eyes. Her blush intensified when he smirked and leaned closer to her face.

"That is pretty hot for a Snow Queen like yourself," he whispered huskily.

Elsa just looked away and placed her index finger on the tip of his nose before pushing him away. Jack stepped back, rubbing his nose before he smirked at her again.

"Tell anyone else about it and I'll make sure that no one knows even the place where I bury you," Elsa threatened while glaring at him, but the blush on her face just made her look like an adorable toddler who got angry that someone stole their toy.

"Aw, aren't you adorable?" Jack teased pinching her cheek.

"No, I'm not!" Elsa exclaimed as she slapped his hand away and Jack noticed that she was getting redder by the minute. He grabbed her wrist, turned her back towards him and pinned her against his chest.

"Sure, whatever you say, _Snowflake_ _"_ Jack whispered in her ear and smirk in satisfaction when he saw her eyes widen, face turning red to the maximum.

_Damn, I wanna flirt with her as long as I'm here if **that's** the reaction I'm gonna get..._

Elsa quickly got out of his grasp and walked away. Smiling to himself, Jack followed close behind before he realised just how many pipes were broken.

"Wow. Trust Flynn to make a huge mess out of simple things," he sassed.

"As much as I want to support him and argue with you, you're right. I have to fix about 12 pipes before I can go home," Elsa informed.

"So I just have to find the broken pieces of the pipe, and you fix them?" Jack asked.

"Yup. I mean, if you're up to the task," Elsa added slyly, the blushing woman from merely a few seconds ago replaced by the confident young woman who loved to challenge him. Jack smirked, his competitive spirit rising.

"I'm gonna pair up all these pipes before you can even open those pretty little lips of yours" he smirked.

"What the heck?" Elsa asked, blinking in disbelief at the sudden compliment of her lips.

"Its called _flirting_ _,_ Snowflake." Jack rolled his eyes, grabbing some random pipe.

"You better not. Unless you want your staff back?" Elsa asked.

"What-" Jack stopped himself when he saw the steel black staff in her white hands. He walked to her, taking it from her hands.

"Where did you even find it in this dark place?" He asked, feeling familiarity wash over him as he held his staff.

"Oh, it was just lying around. I had given it to Flynn and had told him to hide it and it seems like he thought this was a good hiding place." Elsa shrugged.

"Well, this makes work easier for me," Jack commented. He swished his staff and frost flew out and stuck on all the pipes. He tried lifting them but the pipes didn't even budge. "What the-"

"It seems like your magic doesn't work on mine. Just like how you couldn't control my ice last night when you tried escaping," Elsa stated.

"Yeah, don't have to remind me twice," Jack muttered, disintegrating the frost.

"Let's get to work now," Elsa said, walking forward and lifting all the pipes using her powers, pairing up the ones with the same width.

Jack just watched and soon enough, all the broken pieces floated before them in the form of beautiful crystal-coloured light blue pipes.

"Good job," Jack commented.

"And this is the tough part" Elsa groaned.

"Why? What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"The ceiling is way too high, so its kinda difficult seeing where I'm setting the pipes. That results in thin ones getting joint with thick ones and the pipes ending up crooked or not even big enough to fit in the space," She groaned.

"Why can't you just make some kind of staircases or something to reach up there?" Jack asked. 

Elsa looked at the floor, going kinda silent again.

"As I said, I have my own personal reasons why I don't use my powers. Fixing these pipes- I've done it ever since I got to know that I have Ice powers. But for other things, I'm just not comfortable using my powers," Elsa explained.

Jack just stared at her silent form for a few seconds before he thought of something and fake sighed.

"Ugh, I guess this leaves us with no other choice," He fake groaned.

"What choice?" Elsa asked, now looking at him and raising an eyebrow.

"Glad you asked," Jack smirked before he swept her in his arms.

Elsa freaked out, her instincts kicking in as she quickly wrapped her hands around his neck for support. And just as she was about to move to get out of his grasp, Jack stood on his staff and jumped into the air.

"Jack Frost what the actual hell are you doing?!" Elsa screamed.

"Helping," Jack replied sarcastically before he flew over to the pipes. "There. Now you can fix them properly." He commented.

"You idiot! Let me down right now!" Elsa yelled at him.

"Sure, if that's what you want" Jack shrugged, letting go of her legs but tightening his grip around her waist so that she doesn't fall.

Feeling her legs swinging over nothing, Elsa was hanging on to him, literally hugging him around the neck with her chin planted on his shoulder.

"Aw, I didn't know you liked me so much Snowflake." Jack grinned before he wrapped both of his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder as he lifted her up a bit before leaning back so that she could stand on the staff between his legs.

"I hate you," Elsa muttered. She quickly started working with the pipes, trying to finish as soon as possible, while Jack enjoyed his time, his arms wrapped around her waist.

_She does feel colder than most people..._

_When was the last time I_ _ACTUALLY hugged someone when it wasn't for formality?_

And without realizing it, Jack brought her a little closer, buried deep in his thoughts. Feeling him hug her tighter, Elsa turned to scold him but then she stopped, seeing a sad and regretful expression and a scowl on his face.

_Now that's an expression I have almost all the time..._

_...but not something I've seen on his face before_ _..._

"Is something wrong?" She asked softly.

Looking up, Jack realised what he had been doing and loosed his grip, looking away from her bright blue eyes.

"Nothing," he muttered, looking down.

Elsa just looked at him with a 'do-not-lie-to-me' look on her face. Jack glanced up and saw her expression before he groaned loudly and shook his head again.

"It's just something I don't wanna talk about," he muttered, almost to himself.

"Okay, if that's what you want," Elsa shrugged, "At least I'm not invading others' privacy like how you are invading mine by suddenly pulling me against you," she rolled her eyes.

Smiling for no reason, Jack pulled back a bit and covered up his smile with a smirk. "But you seem like you're enjoying it a lot."

"Don't get your hopes too high, Frost. Just take me to the other side of this place so that I can fix these pipes and get this over with." Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you Highness wishes," Jack joked before they flew over, Elsa quickly finishing her work.

They descended to the floor and Elsa was quick enough to get out of his grasp. Jack didn't say anything until Elsa asked him to hand over the staff.

"I really can't trust you to _not_ escape when you're still having it so _hand it over_ _,_ " Elsa hissed.

And when he refused yet again, she just pulled it out of his hands before he could even blink, and sealed it to the ceiling with her ice. Jack tried to summon it and it moved and struggled to come to him, but the ice held it back, firmly sticking it to the ceiling.

Giving up after attempting for a few minutes, Jack followed Elsa as they walked back to the trapdoor. Elsa pressed a hidden button and a few minutes later, a huge bang was heard from above as the others opened the heavy door for them. 

Elsa made Jack go up first, and the racer did so, climbing a few steps up before smirking at her as he assured her that he wouldn't have seen up her skirt if she had climbed up first. After that, he climbed up as fast as possible and once outside, he grabbed Flynn and ran towards his room, knowing better than to face a furious Elsa.

.....

"Finally!" Jack gasped as he opened the huge trapdoor, trying to be as quiet as possible.

He had managed to sneak out of his room in the night with his bags, determined to leave this place even if it meant Elsa and Flynn might catch him again. He had entered the control room through the window, which he had left open before heading out for dinner, and had been pulling at the heavy door while desperately trying to not make any noise. And now, it finally opened.

Jack quietly went down the ladder and stood right below the spot where his staff was stuck.

_My powers might not work on your ice, Snowflake, but it can definitely break it_ _._

And with that thought in his head, he conjured up a sharp icicle using his powers and started breaking the ice bit by bit. The ice didn't break so easily, which made him realise just how strong her ice was.

_And she wasn't even using all of her strength. Just how powerful is that girl..?_

As the ice finally cracked and broke due to the staff's weight, Jack danced in joy before flying out of the tunnel, not bothering to close the trapdoor. He quickly grabbed his bag and flew through the trees as fast as possible, the dim light from his staff helping him to see through the dark. He successfully reached a road and followed it to get out of the forest.

"Yes!" He cheered when he reached the tar road, the one where the strange creatures had attacked his bus.

"You never learn, do you?"

Jack turned around when he heard the familiar voice, and groaned loudly when he saw Elsa and Flynn casually walk towards him.

"Seriously, can't I just go?! The rink is almost finished, except for levelling the ice. You can just do that by yourself!" Jack complained.

"The punishment was that you finish _everything_ , Frost," Flynn smirked smugly, which made Jack to want to punch him in the face.

"And you won't be leaving until you do so" Elsa replied, staring at the sky in boredom. And before anyone could even blink, a rope was tied tightly to Jack's hands, preventing him from doing anything, and the other end of the rope was held by Elsa, who casually handed it over to Flynn. Jack just blinked when he saw Elsa take his staff in her own hands, and that's when he woke up from his shocked trance.

"When the-" Jack stuttered in shock, wondering how and when she took his staff while tying him up, which made Elsa turn to him and smirk evilly.

"Everyone has their own set of secrets, Frost," she said in a fake-sweet voice before they started walking back to the rink.

.....

"Where were you three roaming so late in the night?" Mr Moon asked them the moment Flynn, Elsa, and Jack stepped into the rink.

"Jack tried to escape so we went to get him back" Flynn shrugged.

Manny just raised an eyebrow and looked at the rope tied around Jack's hands and at the culprit himself, before he turned his attention to Elsa.

"Stop using Flynn's powers for such silly matters. They are needed for the safety of this place and I don't want you using his powers as something for entertainment. Unlike some people, his powers are useful." He glared at her.

"I apologize," Elsa replied, her head bowed deeply.

Jack just raised his eyebrow, not understanding why the man was being so rude to her. And he felt even more confused as to why Elsa wasn't fighting back because it was unusual for him to see her being so submissive. And that's when Manny turned to Jack.

"And why exactly are you trying to escape, Mr Frost?" Manny asked.

"Because it's not fair that I have to work my ass off for something caused by accident!" Jack retorted.

"Though by accident, it still was caused by you." Manny pointed out.

"But I've already removed all the ice from the rink and Elsa has spread the water in the rink. Its gonna take _days_ for the damn thing to freeze completely. And once it's done, you people can just use that resurfacer thing -I don't know how to use that machine anyways- and finish up with the rink! And both of us are happy!" Jack explained.

Manny just stared at him skeptically before he glanced at the other two as well -though his glance was more like a glare when he looked at Elsa- before he sighed.

"Fine then, how about a deal?" Manny asked.

"And that is?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"You're a racer, aren't you? So you can compete in a race with one of us, who will be chosen by me. If you win, you can leave this place at once. But if _we_ win, you stay here until the rink is completely finished. Deal?" Manny asked, holding out his hand.

_This_ _will_ _be_ _so_ _easy_ _to_ _win_ _._ _They_ _are_ _just_ _some_ _random_ _people_ _in_ _the_ _middle_ _of_ _a_ _forest_ _anyways_ _._ _This_ _man_ _doesn't_ _know_ _the_ _trap_ _he's_ _setting_ _himself_ _in_ _!_

And with that thought in his head, Jack smirked smugly before he shook hands with the old man.

_California_ _,_ _here_ _I_ _come_ _!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack finally races against Manny's racer and discovers something he wasn't supposed to.

"Are we gonna start or what?" Jack groaned, warming up for the race.

"Just hold up for a few more minutes" Flynn snickered.

Jack rolled his eyes, already starting to sweat in the heat. They were somewhere far from the rink and the place was really dry, not even a few trees around. It looked close to the mountains, where the temperature looked much better. And the reason he was given for coming here was that this place was much better for a track, and they had to be at a place which was unfamiliar for both Jack and whoever he was up against.

_Speaking_ _of_ _which_ _..._

"So, who is the person I'm gonna be competing with?" Jack asked, rolling his shoulders.

"Who knows, Manny might decide the easy, medium or hard level players." Flynn shrugged.

"And they are?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Definitely not Anna and Rapunzel because both are clumsy as hell. Easy would be Kristoff and me, medium is definitely Merida and hard is-"

"So, Jack Frost, are you ready?" A familiar voice asked.

Jack turned and met with the cold blue eyes of Mr Moon, who casually strolled towards the two men, followed by Elsa and Merida.

_So_ _Moon_ _is_ _here_ _and_ _Elsa_ _is_ _his_ _sidekick_ _so_ _she_ _has_ _to_ _be_ _here_ _._ _Then_ _that_ _would_ _mean_ _..._

He glanced at the fiery redhead, who just smirked at him. He smirked back before he looked back at Mr Moon.

_Well_ _,_ _at_ _least_ _now_ _that_ _Elsa's_ _here_ _,_ _I_ _can_ _probably_ _show_ _off_ _how_ _fast_ _I_ _can_ _be_ _..._

"Yup," he replied, shooting a glance at Elsa.

"Flynn, I think you know what to do," Mr Moon nodded his head at the brunette before he backed away and twirled his hand gracefully, conjuring a beautiful white armchair -which looked way too much like a small couch- and sat comfortably on it, turning to them and watching expectantly.

"So then, let's start off with the rules. Merida..." He trailed off, gesturing to the mountain with his eyes. The redhead grumbled halfheartedly as she mounted her horse and ran into the mountains.

"Wait what? How can you just let her go? Aren't we supposed to-"

"Calm down," Flynn rolled his eyes before he continued speaking. "For this race, you guys will have to go up that tall mountain, where Merida is stationed. She will be holding out swords, and you are to bring them here as fast as possible.

"But I'm warning you beforehand, do not start rejoicing if you see two swords with her when you reach her. Just for the sake of confusing you, she has three swords with her. So no matter when you reach her or who reaches her first, she _will_ be having two swords in her hands. Now that I've informed you, shall we start?" Flynn asked.

"Wait a minute, if Merida was brought along just to hold the swords, and you are the referee, then that would mean-" Jack stopped mid-sentence, turning to his side where Elsa stood a few steps away from him, her arms crossed and her expression mixed with anger, frustration and.... pain?

"There's the signal," Flynn announced, spotting the green gas from the top of the mountain. "On your mark!" Flynn started as he lifted his hand, successfully bringing Jack's focus back to the game. "Get set..." He raised it even higher, "and Go!" He yelled, cutting through the air as he brought his hand down.

Jack quickly shot off, glancing back and raising an eyebrow when he saw Elsa just standing at the start line, looking at her nails in boredom.

_Well_ _,_ _sucks_ _to_ _be_ _her_ _..._

Smirking to himself, he turned around and flew as fast as possible, reaching the peak of the mountain where Merida's wild mane could be spotted very easily. He lowered a bit and grabbed a sword out of her hand, trying to see if the third sword was anywhere around. He tried stopping mid-air but thanks to inertia he flew a bit more forward while trying to do so, before he finally turned around and started heading back to where Flynn and the others were standing.

Halfway through the journey back, he felt something fly past him but he spotted nothing when he turned around. Shaking his head and telling himself that it was just the wind, he headed back and saw Elsa walking back to the car which Mr Moon had taken while coming to the deserted area.

_Well_ _,_ _seems_ _like_ _she_ _didn't_ _even_ _bother_ _to_ _do_ _anything_ _..._

He landed next to Flynn and turned to the brunette, smirking smugly as he gave him the sword. Flynn grinned and took the sword from him.

"Congrats man, you're second," the brunette informed.

Jack's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in shock, confusion and anger. "What the- What do you mean?!"

"I mean what I told. You're second. The first sword is right there," Flynn pointed at two square-shaped rocks having the numbers '1' and '2' written on them. And there was a sword similar to the one he brought sticking out from the rock with the number '1'.

"What?! This can't be happening!!" Jack yelled.

"Well, the race is over. Ready to go back to the rink, Jack?" Manny asked, walking over to them.

_Oh_ _hell_ _NO_ _!_

"But- this isn't fair! I know you guys cheated!" Jack yelled, pointing at Manny.

"Be careful of what you speak of, Frost," Elsa commented, leaning against a rock a few steps away from them, with a snowboard made of ice at her feet.

"You!" Jack yelled, pointing a finger at her as he let his rage take over him, making Elsa raise an eyebrow. "You cheated! I know you cheated! You were just standing and lazing around when I flew off, and then you suddenly have the sword?! I bet that you had another one of those swords kept somewhere and you just used it once I went away! You thieving and lying little-"

"Now hold up right there," Elsa held up a hand, glaring at him so venomously with a flash of pain, which made Jack stop reluctantly. He stared at her and saw how she closed her eyes, and took a deep breath and released it before she looked back up and glared at him.

"You think I had an extra sword huh? Well, sorry to burst your bubble but those swords are the hereditary weapons passed down for generations in the Dunbroch family, one each for the father, mother and their firstborn. All of them have the Dunbroch clan symbol on them and I repeat, there are only three swords in total. Which means, there isn't a fourth. Understood? Or is it too much for your dumb brain to take in?" Elsa asked.

Jack's eye twitched in anger as he glared back, though his nerves were kinda shaking at the deadly glare she was giving him.

"I call a rematch!" He demanded.

Elsa just raised an eyebrow, before she looked at Manny behind Jack.

"Okay, I don't have any problem with that," Moon nodded.

Elsa shrugged and walked past Jack to the Starting Line again. Jack followed her, muttering under his breath as he did so. He stood away from her, crossing his arms as he huffed. And right then, Merida came back on her horse, confused when she saw them at the starting line again.

"Wait, are we having a rematch now?" Merida raised an eyebrow.

"Yup, because Frost here doesn't seem to accept that Elsa won the previous race," Flynn rolled his eyes.

"Merida, how many swords does your family own?" Jack asked.

"Plenty. But if you're asking about the hereditary ones we used for today's race, then only three," Merida replied.

Jack huffed angrily, knowing that Elsa was not lying, but he was not accepting that she didn't cheat. No way.

"Well then, Merida, off you go," Flynn grinned as Merida groaned loudly.

"No wait," Jack stopped her, creating three icicles with his initials carved in a secret spot before he gave them to Merida. "Take these."

"Glad to know you trust us," Merida rolled her eyes as she wrapped the ice in her fur cloak before she went to the mountains again.

A few minutes later, the green signal appeared again, and Flynn yelled at them to start.

_I_ _had_ _been_ _too_ _confident_ _last_ _time_ _and_ _they_ _used_ _that_ _to_ _cheat_ _me_ _,_ _but_ _that_ _won't_ _happen_ _now_ _!_

With that thought in his head, Jack shot to the mountains faster than ever, having a little problem with the stop-and-turn-around part after reaching the mountain, before he grabbed the icicle and rushed to Flynn. On the way back, it was almost as if time had slowed down when he came face to face with Elsa, who easily dodged him and flew ahead on that ice-snowboard she had before.

It was almost like he was mesmerized as he turned around and watched her. His eyes widened when he saw her make a perfect turn, unlike him because he had stopped a little distance ahead of where he had actually wanted to stop -because of his momentum or inertia or whatever it's called- and it seemed like Elsa didn't have any problem with that. But in that very second, he saw Elsa fly past him and reach the finish line.

He just stood mid-air, frozen in shock at how she could've possibly outraced him. He shakily reached the ground, staring at her as she returned to the car. He spotted the icicle in Flynn's hand and even checked the secret initials just to convince himself that it really was his own icicle and that she had really won the race.

"What- was that?" He breathed out.

"Wait, don't tell me you want another race now," Flynn groaned.

"No!" Jack shook his head, disintegrating the icicles as he walked along with Flynn, and Merida who reached them at that moment, before gesturing to Elsa. "How- how is she that fast?"

"You call that fast?" Merida laughed, pretending to wipe a tear, "Jack, that's wasn't even _close_ to fast, at least for Elsa's level," she informed him.

"And you expect me to believe that?" Jack asked though a part of him was already ready to believe anything, after what he just saw.

"Yup. I couldn't say it before, but Elsa is the _hardest_ of the Hard mode. Seeing your speed and skills, you are probably the same as Merida; faster than Kris and me, slower than Elsa and hence, equal to Merida. I don't even know why Manny made her race with you. Its been a long time since she raced and-" Merida slapped her hand on Flynn's mouth, glaring at him before she hissed.

"Let's not go around spilling all of Elsa's secrets. You don't want to be frozen to death, do you?" She asked pointedly. Flynn's eyes widened in fear as he shook his head furiously.

"Elsa's secrets?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Um, she will probably tell it to you herself if you manage to earn her trust before you leave," Merida grinned sheepishly. She had the 'please understand my situation' kind of look in her eyes, and Jack nodded reluctantly.

"But you can't exactly tell that she wasn't trying at all. She had to be using at least 50% of her speed," he pointed out.

"To be honest, Elsa's a lot rustier than she was before. So, she probably used only 25% of her speed, but definitely not 50%. That's a bit too much" Flynn thought out loud.

"Seriously? And you call her rusty?!" Jack exclaimed, still not able to accept all of it.

"Yup, she was a lot smoother and faster back when-"

"Are you guys coming any time sooner?" Mr Moon yelled from where he stood next to his car.

The three of them jogged over to where their vehicles were parked. Merida mounted her horse again, while Jack and Flynn got on the latter's motorbike. Elsa was already seated in the driver's seat as Manny got in the car before all of them headed back to the rink.

"So, last question. Does Elsa have another power, like Speed powers, or something?" Jack asked, taking off the helmet to let the air rush through his silvery locks of hair.

"Nope," Flynn yelled.

"Then how does she manage to fly that fast?!" He exclaimed.

"Seriously, I have no idea!" Flynn yelled back.

Jack rolled his eyes, knowing he won't be getting any answers from the brunette.

"Well, seems like Elsa's getting another lecture," Flynn commented.

That was when Jack glanced at the car next to them, in which Elsa was driving as she bit her lip while Manny seemed to be scolding her. Jack's eyes popped wide when he spotted tears in her eyes but she just blinked them away.

_What_ _the_ _actual_ _heck_ _..._

.....

"Wait, Manny made Elsa race?" Rapunzel asked.

All of them were currently sitting at a table as they had dinner when Flynn explained the events of the day.

As an answer to his wife's question, Flynn nodded as he munched on his supper. Her eyes widening in shock and anger, Anna slammed her hands on the table, unintentionally breaking in, and stood up, startling Kristoff, Rapunzel, Merida, Flynn and Jack who sat with her.

"What?!" She exclaimed, glaring intensely at the brunette. "He made her _race_ _?!"_

"Yes, Ma'am!" Flynn nodded, eyes wide with fear.

Anna just glared at him for a few minutes, before she sat down again. "This is not good, this is not good, this is _so not_ _good_ _!_ The heck was that old man thinking?!"

"Honey, what's wro-"

"I need to go!" She announced abruptly and ran off somewhere before any of them could even blink.

"Wha- hey, wait!" Kristoff yelled before he followed her. He stopped a few steps away and turned around to the others. "Don't worry about us. Continue with dinner and just check whether the shops are closed. Flynn, do me a favour and make sure Sven is in the shed," and he ran off.

"Um, what the heck just happened?" Jack asked after a long moment of silence.

"We'll probably know by tomorrow. Well, let's clean up and go to bed fast," Rapunzel muttered before she collected everyone's plates and took them over to the counter.

"Let's get going Jack," Flynn nudged him as the two got up and stepped out of the supper hall, and Flynn stopped and turned to Jack once they were outside. "As you heard the guy, I have some business to do. How about you go back to your room?"

"Yeah, sure," Jack rolled his eyes as he turned around.

"Don't try to escape again, Frost. You know its pointless and you better stay true to your word," Flynn snickered. Jack turned to him and continued walking backwards, glaring at the brunette as he flipped him off before he turned back and headed to where his room was situated.

On the way, he passed Elsa's house and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he heard loud voices coming from inside. He looked around at his surroundings and once he was sure that no one was looking, he slowly crept towards the blue house and spotted a window on the side of the building, below which he stood to eavesdrop.

Though he was right below it, the window was a little high and Jack could only hear voices, though not what they were speaking. Conjuring a messed-up box using his ice powers, he stood on it so that his head was right next to the window, and he mentally patted himself on the back when he was able to recognise the voices.

"You know exactly why Elsa stopped racing and yet you forced her to race today!" A female voice, which he recognised to be Anna's, yelled.

"Anna, honey, I don't know why you're making this matter into such a big deal. She raced today and put herself to _some_ use by winning it." A male voice, Manny's, said calmly, though Jack could hear the faint anger behind his words.

_That_ _was_ _pretty_ _rude_ _..._ Jack thought to himself.

" _'Some use'_? Oh _hell_ no! If there's _anyone_ who's working non-stop around here, its Elsa! God damn it, she has done more work than you have as you are too busy travelling in and out of town literally all the time! And the only reason all of us are able to live comfortably even though there haven't been customers for months, is because of Elsa's hard work! So don't you dare accuse her of anything!" Anna argued.

_You_ _go_ _,_ _girl_ _!_ Jack cheered for her internally.

"Anna, please calm down," Kristoff said softly.

Jack took a small peek inside and saw the dirty blonde trying to hold his girlfriend back, who looked ready to pounce on Manny any minute. Manny was seated on the couch as he stared at the strawberry-blonde, whereas Elsa sat near the opposite window, her back turned towards them.

"Calm down? Of course, I'll calm down! I'll calm down when Manny realizes just how much of an idiot he is!" She yelled at Kristoff before turning to Manny again. "Elsa has had way too much to go through already and doesn't deserve his hatred for something that happened years ago!"

_Damn_ _,_ _remind_ _me_ _never_ _to_ _get_ _on_ _her_ _bad_ _side_ _..._ Jack said to himself as he watched just how furious she was.

"Anna, please, just head back to your room. This conversation is going nowhere," Manny stated as he stood.

"Now listen to me, old man-"

"Anna, that's enough," Elsa said as she stood up and walked over to the stairs which probably led to her room.

"But Elsa-"

"Please Anna," Elsa pleaded and Jack noticed the tears in her eyes again.

Anna stayed quiet as she stared at her sister before she looked down at the floor and nodded reluctantly. Manny walked out of the house and Anna ran to Elsa and hugged her tightly.

"I hate him," she muttered.

"Please don't say such ridiculous things. He's our godfather, Anna," Elsa said, forcing her lips to smile.

_Who_ _knew_ _Snowflake_ _could_ _fake_ _a_ _smile_ _so_ _well_ _?_ Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Him being our godfather was Dad's decision, not ours. 'Cause if it had been our choice, I would've rather stayed in the mountains than live with him," Anna grumbled.

"Anna, he loves you," Elsa pointed out and didn't even bother hiding the pain in her eyes.

"But not you, and hence he's the villain," Anna pointed out.

Elsa smiled again, but the tears she had been holding back slipped down as she hugged Anna back tightly. Without any hesitation, Kristoff stepped forward and wrapped his arms around both of them.

_He_ _really_ _is_ _insane_ _..._ Jack said to himself as Manny's face flashed before his eyes. His heart melted a bit when he saw the hug, feeling sadness and guilt wash over him as his mind reminded him that he wasn't close with his family unlike them.

Soon enough, they pulled back and after assuring Elsa a hundred times more, Anna and Kristoff left the house before Elsa locked the door and went upstairs. Jack decided to return as well but then he stopped when he saw the shadow of someone on the roof of Elsa's house.

Curiosity struck him again and looking around at the various window-ledges along the sides of the buildings, Jack summoned his wind powers as much as he could without his staff and successfully reached the roof.

She sat silently for a few minutes as more tears slid down her cheeks. She had her back turned towards him as she stared at the moon and cried silently. Telling himself that this was probably a good time to reveal himself, Jack silently walked over and sat next to her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him bluntly.

"Well, a little birdie told me that you were here so I came here to pick a fight," he joked, trying to lighten up her mood.

_Seriously_ _,_ _my_ _head_ _is_ _so_ _freakin_ _messed_ _up_ _._ _I_ _don't_ _even_ _know_ _why_ _I'm_ _here_ _to_ _console_ **_her_** _out_ _of_ _everyone_ _!_

"Go away," Elsa muttered as she pulled her knees up and hugged them close to her chest.

"Nope, I can see that you really need some human company right now," Jack commented.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with you, Frost," Elsa hissed.

"Then don't. Just let me sit here with you," Jack shrugged.

Seeing that it was pointless arguing with him, Elsa stayed silent as she continued staring at the Moon.

"So..." Jack trailed off, uncertain whether he should tell her the truth, before deciding to take the risk. "I guess you had a fight with Manny?"

"What?!" Elsa hissed, turning to him and glaring at him. "Were you eavesdropping on us?!"

"No! I just- saw Manny storm out of your house looking pissed, and saw Anna, Kris and you hugging and then you were sitting here while crying so I just assumed-" He rambled before he winced at Elsa's soul-piercing glare as she knew he was lying. "Well- uh- I- Okay, fine. Yes, I was." He admitted.

"Why did you?"

"Um- you looked really upset today morning during and after the race and I heard voices from your house so..." Jack trailed off.

_Wow_ _,_ _smooth_ _move_ _Frost_ _._ _Very_ _smooth_ _._ His mind stated sarcastically and Jack internally groaned at how awkward and creepy he was being.

"Go away."

"What?" Jack blinked.

"Just go away! I don't want anyone's pity and especially not yours!" Elsa yelled, her eyes wide with anger though they were still full of tears.

"I wasn't pityin-"

"Just go!"

His cocky attitude kicked in and Jack got up, angry that she had chased him away so rudely when he had just tried to help her. He left her and jumped over the building to reach his room while still bristling. He flopped down on the bed, rubbing his forehead to calm down.

_And_ _that's_ _what_ _I_ _get_ _for_ _trying_ _to_ _be_ _nice_ _..._

.....

"Ugh!" Jack yelled in frustration as he slipped from his staff and fell down for the hundredth time in that hour.

Since the water was still freezing in the rink, Jack had asked Flynn return his staff and to take him to the mountain region where he had raced the previous day. Remembering how Elsa had smoothly turned around, he tried his best to copy the action and to improve his racing. And for his own safety, he covered the ground with snow so that the falls weren't too dangerous. And every time he tried to turn around he just flew backwards due to his speed and ended up with the same result every time: Failure.

"How did she do that?!" He yelled as he dug himself out of the snow.

"Who knows?" Flynn replied, drawing something on the snow using a stick while his palm was pressed against his cheek in boredom. He was seriously surprised that Jack hadn't broken his bones after the number of times he had fallen but the racer refused to even take a break as he continued to try out the method.

"Hey, Frost, you should really stop now. It's already five in the evening! Come on man, I'm freezing here!" He yelled.

"Fine. But I'm not giving up. There's no way she could've just outraced me so easily!" Jack huffed as he walked over to Flynn before snapping his fingers, effectively wiping off all the snow from the ground. The temperature slowly increased and the sky turned orangish as Jack and Flynn got on the motorbike again.

"Why do you wanna learn it so badly?!" Flynn asked.

"Because I have the Finals coming up, and before leaving I wanted to beat Elsa using her own method," Jack admitted.

"Good luck with that," Flynn rolled his eyes, his voice laced with sarcasm.

They reached the rink soon enough and made their way to the lunch hall when Flynn gasped suddenly.

"Shit, I completely forgot to hide Punzie's plate which I broke! I'll be right back!" He yelled before he ran off towards his house.

Jack just chuckled as he walked ahead and bumped into Merida's mom, who looked relieved to see him.

"Ah, Mr Frost, can you do me a favour and give this to Elsa?" She asked sweetly as she held out an envelope. Jack just stared at it uncertainly, before he reluctantly nodded.

"Yeah sure," he muttered, taking the paper in his hands.

"Thanks a lot!" Merida's mom smiled before she groaned and chased after her sons who were causing trouble again.

Jack just stared at the envelope in his hand, before he sighed and trudged to Elsa's house. He knocked and waited for a few minutes, but no one answered. He tried opening the door and to his surprise, it opened. He stepped inside and looked around in search of the platinum-blonde.

"Elsa?" He called out as he randomly opened a door in the corner of the room, and his eyebrows shot up in curiosity when he saw stairs leading downstairs.

_Who_ _knew_ _Snowflake_ _had_ _a_ _basement_ _?_

A normal person would've just closed the door, but he wasn't exactly normal so he went down the stairs, hoping to find some secrets about her.

The basement was naturally dark due to lack of light, and Jack used his staff's faint glow to spot the light switch. He switched on the lights and his eyes widened in shock.

There were really huge and terrifying icicles all around the room and the floor was covered in ice. Furniture was blasted to bits and some were still stuck between the icicles and basically, the basement was a huge mess and looked almost like a villain's lair.

Jack's eyes narrowed when he saw something shine in between all of this, and he slowly and cautiously approached. The thing shined like how gold would under really bright light. His eyebrows dipped in confusion when he saw something in the shape of a trophy with something written on it, and Jack's hands shook as he took it in his hands and wiped the frost off the writing. He gasped out loud and almost dropped his staff in shock when he read what was written.

Because resting in his hands was a Tachyons Cup.

_A_ _freakin_ **_Tachyons_** ** _Cup_** ** _._**

His shocked gaze looked ahead and he almost fainted when he saw _two_ more Tachyons cups surrounded by many more cups of the Regionals, the quarterfinals and the semifinals. There were a lot more small awards, like the ones won at schools and colleges, and telling that Jack was shocked and surprised was an understatement.

"Who even won these?" He whispered to himself before he kneeled down, placed his staff on the ground and picked up a framed certificate of the Tachyons Cup.

_We_ _,_ _the_ _President_ _and_ _hosts_ _of_ _the_ _legendary_ _Race_ _of_ _Rapidity_ _,_ _announce_ _Elsa_ _Winters_ _as_ _the_ _winner_ _of_ _the_ _Tachyons_ _Cup_ _and..._

Jack read it three to four more times, just to make sure he hadn't read it wrong.

_Elsa_ _Winters_ _as_ _the_ _winner_ _of_ _the_ _Tachyons_ _Cup_ _..._

_Elsa_ _Winters_ _..._

_Elsa_ _..._

"No freakin way..." He whispered to himself in shock. He found a few more shattered framed certificates, and all of them were for the same person:

Elsa Winters.

He looked around once again and picked up a frame that looked like it contained a newspaper article, and rubbed the frost off the glass using the sleeve of his black leather jacket. His eyes squinted in concentration when he saw a picture of a teenage girl on the ground in a very painful position. She was bleeding in different places and her platinum-blonde hair was covered in blood and sweat as she laid there and cried in pain.

Jack rubbed the glass again and read the heading of the article, which went like: _"_ _Winner_ _of_ _the_ _Tachyons_ _Cup_ _for_ _three_ _consecutive_ _years_ _FAILS_ _at_ _winning_ _for_ _the_ _fourth_ _time_ _!"_ The rest of the article was blurry to read and Jack decided not to read the rest, and just stared at the pictures. After a few paragraphs, there was a picture of the same girl wearing a number of medals as she held the Tachyons cup, her whole face was lit up with happiness. And Jack recognised the girl to be Elsa, just a lot younger.

"What are you doing here?"

Jumping in fear at hearing a voice all of a sudden, Jack almost dropped the cup and the frame, before he turned around and saw Elsa standing behind him.

"You- these-" He stuttered, standing up to look her in the eye. "Y-You won these?"

"No, I didn't. I saw a person selling fake cups and decided to get a few for myself," Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Elsa this is serious!" Jack insisted. "You have a Tachyons Cup. A freakin Tachyons Cup! Do you even know how many people, including me, would do anything to win this?!"

"Nope," Elsa replied.

"Elsa-"

"Frost, you weren't even supposed to come here, in the first place. So I would appreciate if you leave, now" Elsa said, looking at the floor.

"But-"

"Please." She cut in, her voice sounding a lot more different than the last time she asked him to leave.

Jack wanted to stay and ask how she managed to win three cups, how she got wounded so badly and why the cups were thrown in the dump. But he could see that she didn't want to talk about it. He sighed, bent and placed the cup and the frame on the ground before he picked up his staff and the envelope.

"Merida's mother wanted me to give this to you," he muttered before he brushed past her and left her house.

_I_ _am_ _not_ _leaving_ _this_ _place_ _before_ _getting_ _all_ _the_ _answers_ _..._ He told to himself before he stuffed his hands in his pockets and entered the lunch hall with Flynn, who rambled about having to listen to a long lecture from Rapunzel for breaking her plate.

_Elsa_ _,_ _just_ _who_ _the_ _hell_ _are_ _you_ _..._


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up a little and though Jack isn't fond of the heat, he doesn't seem to mind THIS type of heated tension.

"Dude, still how much longer are you gonna 'practice'?" Kristoff groaned, emphasizing the word 'practice'.

"Just a few more hours!" Jack yelled before he shot into the sky again.

"You've been saying that for the whole day from six in the morning! It's already eight in the evening for God's sake! Come on, let's leave!" Kristoff yelled back.

Jack huffed in anger and frustration at himself, failing yet again to make the perfect turn. He came down and cleared the ground which was covered with snow, before turning to Kristoff, who had already started the motorbike.

 _This_ _is_ _a_ _perfect_ _chance_ _for_ _me_ _to_ _escape_ _..._ _Elsa_ _and_ _Flynn_ _as_ _not_ _here_ _which_ _means_ _I_ _really_ _can_ _escape_ _..._

_But_ _..._

The argument between Anna and Manny, the sight of Elsa's basement and surprisingly Elsa's smiling face before her sad and disturbed expression flashed before his eyes.

 _Let's_ _delay_ _that_ _for_ _a_ _while_ _..._

"I still don't know why you were forced to come with me today," Jack stated.

"Well, Flynn had to put up with you all these days and he wanted a day off so Elsa asked me to escort you for today," Kristoff shrugged.

The rest of the ride was silent and they reached the rink soon enough. Kristoff told Jack to go ahead and sit with the others and Jack nodded before he made his way to the supper hall.

"Jack," Elsa called out just before he could enter. Jack stopped, turned around and saw her walking towards him with her head bent. Memories of the previous day rushed into his brain, but he forced himself to concentrate.

"Yes, Snowflake?" He asked.

Elsa stopped in front of him, a look of uncertainty on her face before she sighed and finally looked up at him. "Can I talk to you?"

"Um, sure?" He replied, confused at why she wanted to talk to him all of a sudden.

"Uh, I need to talk to you _alone_ _._ _"_ She specified.

Jack just raised an eyebrow, before he followed Elsa to her house. She signalled him to sit down and he flopped himself on the couch as he looked around at all the pictures on the walls.

Elsa stood against a table in the corner, her arms crossed as she stared at the floor. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Jack cleared his throat.

"So...what's up?" He asked awkwardly.

"I just... wanted to apologize," Elsa admitted.

"Eh?" Jack blinked, genuinely confused and surprised.

"The other day- after the race when Manny and Anna had a fight, remember we were on the roof? You tried to help me- but I just yelled at you," She explained guiltily, "So I just wanted you to know that I'm truly sorry for my behaviour that night. It was- it was really _really_ rude of me and you didn't deserve that just because you were being nice enough to support me."

Jack just blinked in shock, unable to believe that she was actually _apologizing_ _._ Sure, he had been mad at her for the rest of the night but he forgot about it later on. And she was being polite and apologizing just because he had invaded her privacy for which she had yelled at him. Goodness, if he had to say sorry to people for being rude, he had a whole country's worth population to apologize to.

Mistaking his silence for anger, Elsa glanced up at him. "I'm sorry Jack, I really _really_ am. If there's any way I can make up to you, I promise I'll do it; please tell me," she requested, her eyes filled with sincerity, regret and a hint of desperation.

Jack was about to assure her that he forgave her, but then her last lines caught his attention.

"Well..." He trailed off, trying to hide his smirk. "You could just let me go home tonight..."

Elsa's eyes widened and she looked down as she seemed to think it over. She stood like that for about three minutes before she looked up at him.

"Okay," she nodded.

"Wait, seriously?" Jack asked, his eyebrows shooting upwards as his eyes widened. "You can do that?"

Elsa didn't reply, but then she forced a smile on her face, which Jack quickly noticed was fake. "I promised, didn't I?" And with that, she turned around and walked out of the house.

Jack just stared at her, before he got up and did a happy dance around the room. 

_Wait._

He paused, remembering just _why_ he hadn't left when he'd had the chance.

_It's okay, I can just come back_ **_after_ ** _winning the Tachyons Cup and investigate to my heart's content._

And with that, he quickly lifted his staff and headed back to the supper hall, a content and self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"What are you so happy about?" Kristoff raised an eyebrow.

"Why wouldn't I be? I am leaving this place right now, after all," he stated, sitting down next to Flynn. He looked around the table and saw only Kristoff, Flynn, Merida and Rapunzel sitting, meaning Anna wasn't there.

"Um, didn't you lose the race?" Merida asked.

"Yes. But then Elsa told she would do anything to receive my forgiveness for shouting at me the other day, so I told her I want to leave. She seemed hesitant, but she nodded and went away, promising that I will be able to leave tonight." He informed with a smug look on his face.

He knew they'd have different reactions but did _not_ expect everyone's eyes to widen in shock and fear.

"Dude, you do know that you've basically doomed Elsa, right?" Kristoff asked.

"Huh?" Jack tilted his head in confusion.

"Jack, Elsa doesn't have the authority around here as long as Manny is present. Which means currently, every decision she makes will go through Manny before getting accepted or declined." Rapunzel explained.

"Elsa was the one who made you stay here, and if she goes and talks to Manny about releasing you after letting you stay here for weeks and even racing you, well, Manny wouldn't be happy." Merida pointed out.

"And trust us when we tell you that when Manny and Elsa fight, its never _ever_ good," Flynn stated.

Jack's eyes widened in horror when he realised that he has basically asked Elsa to dig up her own grave and die, he forced himself to calm down before he laughed nervously. "It- it can't be _that_ bad... right?"

"Bro, a few years ago Elsa bought a machine for the rink, and when she decided to return it back when she wasn't satisfied, Manny threw a fit and gave her the cold shoulder for about two years. He would scold and insult her every single day due to which Elsa's cold demeanour turned even more isolated." Flynn informed.

Trying to take in all the information, Jack's eyes widened yet again as he sat, frozen in his spot.

"Hey guys," Anna greeted as she sat down next to her boyfriend.

"Anna, did you see Elsa anywhere? She still didn't have her supper," Punzie stated, glancing around in concern.

"She was with me the whole time. But then she suddenly disappeared and appeared out of nowhere, telling me to go ahead and have dinner before she went to Manny," Anna informed.

"Shit!" Jack hissed before he flew out of the hall. He stopped at the entrance and searched for the platinum-blonde, and his heart jumped in urgency and fear when he saw Elsa almost reaching Manny. Thankfully, the man had his back turned to her and had not seen her.

Jack flew as fast as possible, scooping her in his arms on the way, not stopping even for a second. Elsa almost screamed when she was suddenly swept off her feet before she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung onto him for dear life.

Jack flew into a small gap between two of the buildings surrounding the rink before he placed Elsa down. She stumbled for a few seconds before she stood straighter and smacked him on his head.

"Ow, what was that for?!" Jack whined as he rubbed his head.

"That's what I should be asking _you_ , Frost," Elsa hissed. "Why the heck did you bring me here? I was going to ask Manny to release you."

"Exactly why I stopped you and brought you here," Jack admitted, his hand rising to rub the nape of his neck. "Let's just say that I had a change of mind about what I wanted you to do."

"Seriously?" Elsa asked, but Jack saw how relieved she was. "Well, what caused the almighty Jack Frost to have a change of mind?"

 _Honestly_ _,_ _I_ _have_ _no_ _idea_ _._

"Who knows," he shrugged, peering at her through his eyelashes, "Probably your beauty made me reconsider about leaving."

"Yeah, and I completely believe that," Elsa rolled her eyes though Jack smirked to himself when he saw the slight blush on her face. "So what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Go on a date with me."

"What?" Elsa blinked, wondering if she heard him right. She turned beet red when Jack leaned forward and tightened his grasp around her, pinning her to the wall as she realised that they had forgotten to let go of each other after he had placed her down.

"I want you to go on a date with me. Not just roaming around this rink but somewhere like the waterfalls or the snow-covered mountains- I don't know, you are the one who's lived here your entire life. So, what do you say?" He asked.

"I... don't think its a good idea..." She trailed away, looking to the side.

"I thought a Snowflake always keeps its promises," Jack insisted, pressing even closer to her and placing his forehead against hers so that she has no choice but to look at him in the eye.

"I'm not a snowflake," she muttered under her breath, turning her gaze to stare at his hoodie instead. "And I think you should let me go right now."

"Not until I get a reply," he whispered huskily, which sent shivers to run up and down her spine.

"F-fine, I'll go," Elsa muttered.

"Where?"

"On a date."

"Tell the whole thing, Snowflake."

"I'll go on a date with you, Frost," she hissed, not liking how a part of her was actually liking everything that was going on.

"Excellent. But there is a rule though," Jack informed.

"What now?" Elsa asked through gritted teeth.

"I'm gonna be asking questions about everything I wanna know, and you're gonna answer completely honestly. Don't try to lie to me because I know when a person is lying," Jack stated.

Elsa stayed silent for some time before she reluctantly nodded, her head barely moving all thanks to his face which was literally right in front of hers.

Jack internally cheered, knowing for sure that he'll know whatever he wants to know by tomorrow night. But for some reason, his arms were getting used to being around her so instead of letting go like how he had told her, Jack continued to hold her against the wall, appreciating the rare and close view of her face.

But after some time, Elsa raised her gaze a bit to look at him in confusion at why he still didn't let her go, and the two of them ended up staring at each other's eyes. They stayed that way for a few seconds, before Jack's gaze fell to her pink lipstick coated lips, and he bit his own as he felt his hormones kick in. He wanted to just lean down a bit and press his lips against hers, but a part of his brain kept telling him not to do so.

But soon enough, he slowly started leaning down, his eyes half-lidded in desire. His lips were just a few millimetres away from hers when-

"Elsaaaaaaaa! Jaaaaaaaack! Where are you guys?!" Flynn yelled, his voice echoing everywhere.

Sudden strength surged through her hands and Elsa pushed Jack away, her eyes wide and her face red when she realised what they almost did. She shook her head before crossing her arms and turning away from the racer.

"Go around the building and meet with Flynn to avoid any suspicions as to why we both were coming together," she muttered before she stepped out of the tiny alley. Jack just blinked at her retreating form before reality hit him in the face, making him quickly turn in the opposite direction as he flew around the building.

 _What_ _the_ _heck_ _did_ _I_ _almost_ _do_ _..._

.....

"Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it, just stop already!" Jack hissed at himself, his voice muffled by the pillow pressed against his face.

It was night time already, and Jack had headed back to his room after having his supper. Elsa and he completely avoided each other's eyes, at least until Jack awkwardly reminded her to be up early before he ran off. The others kept shooting confused glances at them, and Anna had almost ripped his limbs apart when the others told her about Jack asking Elsa to let him leave.

And currently, as Jack twisted and turned in his bed, his mind refused to shut down and kept playing the almost kiss right before his eyes. He tried everything; changing his position, hitting his head, yelling at himself, pleading to himself, but the flashback kept playing.

He finally gave up after going through torture for a whole hour, and let himself think about the specific event. About how comfortable he felt holding her in his arms, how cutely she had blushed when she realised their position, how he had pinned her to the wall and how he had let his weird feelings take over him.

He blushed and groaned yet again when he felt himself _wanting_ to know how it felt kissing someone since he had never kissed a person, except for the loving cheek and forehead kisses for his younger sister, Emma, back when they were young.

Knowing that he won't be sleeping anytime soon, Jack got up, snatched his staff and flew out of the window to get some air and clear his head. He was about to sit on the roof but noticed a particular platinum-blonde who was sitting on the roof of her house, staring at the sky with her back turned to him.

Contemplating whether he should go to her or not, Jack cursed at himself before choosing the former. He flew over silently, only announcing his appearance by clearing his throat when he sat next to her, startling her.

"W-what are you doing here?" She asked, trying her best not to blush.

"I could ask you the same question," Jack shot back, sitting so close to her that their shoulders were almost touching.

"This is my home, idiot," she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, lemme rephrase my question: Why are you sitting on your roof at this time in the night?" He corrected himself.

"Couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"Same reason. Just had too much on my mind," he shrugged, looking up and joining her in staring at the stars. "So, did you decide where we could go for our date?"

"Oh! Um-" she stammered, turning pink which made Jack smirk, "T-there's a really awesome waterfall nearby, and the view is great too so I thought that maybe we could go there?" She informed, her suggestion sounding more like a question.

"Sounds great," Jack nodded before they were enveloped in silence again.

"Hey, Jack?" Elsa called out, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Snowflake?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

"Stop being a smartass and just answer the damned question." Elsa snapped. Jack just laughed before he turned to her.

"Geez, fine. Go ahead"

"Okay," Elsa nodded to herself, sighing before she looked at him again. "I'm getting a feeling that you asked me to go on a date just so that you'll have a chance to ask me about the trophies in the basement; is that right?"

Jack just stared at her, his gaze mixed with horror, surprise, and admiration at the same time. "W-what are you talking about? Of course no-"

"Don't lie" Elsa deadpanned.

Jack just stared at her for a few seconds before he groaned.

"Yes, it's true," he admitted.

"If that's the case..." Elsa trailed away, "I know you don't wanna be confused so I would probably tell you the whole tale. But I feel like that's asking for too much. So to even things out, will you share your story of why you want to win the Tachyons Cup so badly?"

Jack froze, staying quiet as he thought about it. A part of his mind kept telling him to refuse and cancel the date, but he had long since ditched paying any attention to it, rather listening to the logical side which told him that she was right: if he wanted to know about her biggest secret, he might as well tell her his.

"Fine," he nodded reluctantly, still not sure whether this was a good idea.

"Thank you," Elsa gave a small smile and Jack returned it with an awkward smile of his own.

He wanted to look away, but the moonlight reflecting in her eyes just held him captive. And her adorable smile wasn't helping either. They continued staring and just like before, Jack felt the desire wash over him as his gaze kept flickering to her lips. And finally, no longer able to hold back anymore, he slowly leaned in, a small part of him noticing how she was leaning in as well.

They were sitting shoulder to shoulder already, which just reduced the space between their faces. And just before their lips could touch, Jack's phone rung loudly and both of them pulled back, Elsa quickly turning away to hide her blush as Jack's mind yelled loudly in frustration when he saw that Flynn was calling him.

"Hello?" He hissed as he turned away from Elsa.

" _Yo_ _Frost_ _,_ _where_ _are_ _you_ _?_ _My_ _insides_ _keep_ _squirming_ _,_ _meaning_ _that_ _my_ _powers_ _are_ _telling_ _me_ _that_ _you_ _are_ _not_ _in_ _your_ _room_ _,_ _but_ _not_ _away_ _from_ _the_ _rink_ _either_ _._ _So_ _where_ _the_ _heck_ _are_ _you_ _?_ " Flynn yelled.

"I couldn't sleep so I came to the roof for some fresh air. Is there a problem with that?" Jack rolled his eyes as he got up and walked a few steps away from Elsa.

" _Um_ _,_ _no_ _._ _But_ _are_ _you_ _with_ _someone_ _else_ _or_ _something_ _?_ _Because_ _my_ _senses_ _are_ _telling_ _me_ _that_ _you're_ _definitely_ _not_ _sitting_ _on_ _the_ _roof_ _of_ _the_ _building_ _where_ _you_ _stay_ _at_ _and_ _your_ _heart_ _is_ _racing_ _faster_ _than_ **_you_** _ever_ _have_ _and-_ "

"Okay, it was nice talking to you. I'll head to my room right away so that your senses stop disturbing you and I'll see you tomorrow. Bye." He cut him off and hung up. Jack let out a sigh before turning to Elsa, who was standing with her arms crossed.

"So I guess I'll head back to my room now-" Jack started.

"Yeah, sure, goodnight. See you tomorrow-"

"Yeah, see you too-"

"Don't forget to pack a set of clothes just in case-"

"Got it. I'll meet you after breakfast tomorrow-"

"Great!-"

"Bye!" Both of them exclaimed at the same time before Elsa quickly hurried downstairs while Jack quickly flew over to his room.

"Damn, what the heck is happening to me?" Jack cursed at himself, dropping his staff and flopping down on the bed as exhaustion took over him and the world turned black.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date time!

_Okay_ _,_ _let's_ _calm_ _down_ _._ _This_ _is_ _not_ _exactly_ _a_ _'_ _date_ _'_ _date_ _,_ _just_ _a_ _meeting_ _where_ _I_ _will_ _be_ _asking_ _Elsa_ _about_ _everything_ _I_ _wanna_ _know_ _about_ _._ _Yeah_ _,_ _that's_ _it_ _._

_And_ _I'm_ _completely_ _gonna_ _forget_ _about_ _what_ _we_ _almost_ _did_ _yesterday_ _._ _Not_ _that_ _it_ _meant_ _anything_ _to_ _me-_ _did_ _it_ _mean_ _anything_ _to_ _me_ _?_ _I_ _mean_ -

"What the heck are you doing out here so early in the morning?!"

Jack jumped, startled by Flynn's sudden appearance, before he leaned against the supper hall's door again.

"I'm heading out," Jack answered. "Oh, and I'll be borrowing your motorbike for today."

"Wait, seriously?" Flynn raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't informed about this. Are you going with Kris again? Because Elsa really didn't tell me."

The brunette eyed his clothes, and Jack merely raised an eyebrow as he checked himself. He was wearing skin-tight black knee-ripped jeans, a black T-shirt, his usual black leather jacket and black boots. His silver hair was messed up in its own unique way, his duffel bag was on the ground next to him and his black steel staff was right next to it.

"Well..." Jack trailed off.

"That's because I'm going with him myself," a familiar voice interrupted them and Jack felt his heart skip a beat as Elsa calmly walked over. Memories of the previous day rushed to his head but Jack forced himself to concentrate.

He noticed a change in her clothes, and raised an eyebrow appreciatively as he checked her out. She had swapped her usual maxi-skirt and long sleeved tops for something more different, which consisted of black jeans, a plain white T-shirt, a blue jacket, a baby-blue scarf loosely wrapped around her neck, and black boots. Her hair was in its usual bun and her right hand was holding on to a blue shoulder bag.

"Wait, what?!" Flynn blinked in utter confusion, taking his seat next to Punzie as the three of them reached their table, where the others were already seated.

"That's right," Elsa nodded professionally. "Frost here asked me if he could visit any higher places for practice and that he was sick of being only in the rink and the mountain grounds where we raced, and I know that both Kris and you have business to attend to so I told him I'll be accompanying him for the day."

"Seriously?" Everyone blinked in shock, before they quickly turned to Jack, who was surprised about her explanation, but nodded nonetheless.

"Huh, hard to believe Elsa _actually_ agreed to accompany you," Kristoff snickered.

"Unless you forced her to," Merida narrowed her eyes at Jack.

"You think she would even consider if I forced her?" Jack asked.

"Nope," Flynn piped in.

"Besides," Rapunzel drawled, her expression turning sly, "You both are gonna be spending time all alone."

"Oh yeah," Anna grinned before her expression changed drastically to a serious one as she turned to Jack, "Hurt my sister in any way, and I _will_ break you."

"Calm down," Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Other than that, enjoy your _date_ well," Anna teased.

Jack just sighed, determined to not let the previous night's events change his behaviour around her, especially after seeing how she acted so nonchalantly.

.....

"So, shall we go?" Jack asked, getting up as everyone finished their breakfast.

"Of course," Elsa nodded, lifting her shoulder bag.

Jack collected his own bag and staff before he received Flynn's bike keys and turned to wave goodbye at the others.

"Take care, guys," Rapunzel smiled at them.

"Don't fall off a cliff and die Frost," Flynn grinned.

"Be careful Elsie, if he decides to become naughty, just break his jaw," Anna said, staring seriously at Elsa face.

"I intend to," Elsa smirked, eyeing said guy who backed away with his hands raised in surrender. "Let's go."

The two of them walked to the motorbike and Jack handed her a helmet before he turned to talk to her.

"Are you sure this is okay? I mean, what if Manny asks about you and gets to know that you're out with me? Wouldn't he- you know, get the wrong idea?" He asked her, holding his own helmet in his hands.

"Manny left to visit a nearby town last night," Elsa replied, her voice kind of muffled by the helmet, though Jack knew she was smirking.

"Okay then. Don't blame me if he comes after you for leaving the rink with me," Jack muttered, wearing his helmet before he got on the bike.

"You were the one who wanted me to take you somewhere, so technically it's still your fault," Elsa grinned.

"But you're the one guiding us to wherever we are going and I'm just gonna listen and drive so it's you who's taking me." Jack protested, making quotation marks in the air with his fingers.

"But you're the one riding the bike which means you're the one taking _me_ somewhere," Elsa argued back.

"Whatever, just get on already," Jack muttered. Elsa swung her leg over the seat and sat down comfortably, and Jack raised an eyebrow when she placed her hands on his shoulders. "You know you can just put your arms around my waist."

"I wouldn't even if I was falling to my death," Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Fine by me. But it wouldn't be my fault if you fall off the bike," Jack commented as he started the bike.

"Just get over it already," Elsa hissed and just like that, they set out.

Elsa calmly guided him through the woods, and Jack tried his best to memorize the way as they reached the main road. She gave him directions and hit his back or arm when he messed up. Jack didn't stop protesting but listened to her nonetheless.

And since they were wearing helmets, Jack couldn't hear her properly so she had to lean her head close to his ear. So basically, she was pressed against him and a part of his brain kept pointing this out, and Jack kept ignoring it as he drove diligently.

And soon enough, they reached a road which led into the forest on the other side of the road, and Elsa told him to go that way and they stopped when they reached a board which read, 'Welcome to the Winter Falls'.

"The what now?" Jack raised an eyebrow as Elsa got off the bike.

"Park the bike somewhere and take your bag. We'll be walking from here onwards, its just a short distance," Elsa said, removing her helmet and fixing her hair.

"Um, sure," Jack muttered before he parked the bike between the trees and bushes and hid both their helmets in the trunk of a nearby hollow tree, before he grabbed his bag and walked over to her. "So the waterfall we're heading to is called the Winter Falls?"

"Yes, but to be honest, I wouldn't even call it a waterfall. It's just a medium-sized stream flowing through a mountain and falling down on some rocks and continuing on. But there is a pond right below it and the whole area is surrounded by rocks so its really beautiful," Elsa smiled.

"How do you even know about this place?" Jack asked, walking alongside her through the woods and he heard the water falling in the distance.

"It used to be a really well-known tourist spot back when my parents were teenagers, but over the years people stopped coming here. But my father loved this place too much so we kept visiting on a regular basis, and soon enough the people who were running this place also left, leaving it open for all. So, here we are," Elsa explained.

"I... was also wondering," Jack started, hesitant whether he should proceed with what he wanted to ask, "is it just me- or are the customers at the rink kinda very less? Because from when I arrived, you haven't exactly had even a single customer so..." He trailed off awkwardly.

Elsa stayed silent for some time, and Jack panicked for a second whether he angered her. "No, it's not just you," Elsa spoke, causing Jack to internally sigh in relief. "Since the rink is too far inside the forest, we have completely stopped receiving customers. The only reason we're able to live something close to a comfortable life is because Manny has plenty of other occupations, and he earns almost 60% of the money we use.

"And then there's Mr Dunbroch, Mr Corona and Kristoff, all of whom visit the nearby town for work. Kristoff leaves in the morning and comes back in the evening, but the other two men come by the rink thrice a week to visit us and their respective families. I guess that sums up about 30% of our income." Elsa explained.

"Um, I know you know that I was eavesdropping on Manny and Anna's fight the other day, and she mentioned that you are the reason everyone's able to live comfortably. What did she mean by that?" Jack asked.

"So you remembered huh?" Elsa looked down at the ground, never stopping their walk as she continued explaining, "That isn't exactly true. I work to keep us comfortable as well, but my work would be the remaining 10% of our income. It's not that big of a deal. I just work for my father's friend but I try my best to stay in the rink for as long as possible because when Manny is not present, the responsibility of the rink shifts to me."

"What kind of work do you do?" Jack questioned again.

"Nothing much. My dad's friend is the President of an association of a group of sports grounds and pieces of equipment, ranging from your normal roller skating rinks, playgrounds and ice rinks to official stadiums of massive games like soccer and cricket. I work under one of the different departments. I manage most of my work here in my house, but sometimes I would have to go to the next town for meetings and such. That's all," Elsa informed.

"Damn, that's a hell lot of work right there, is that all you do?" Jack asked.

"Yup, and other minor stuff like managing our bills, seeing after the water supply and all that is also my responsibility. So yeah, that's pretty much my life here in the rink," Elsa gave a sad smile.

_I'm_ _kinda_ _having_ _the_ _feeling_ _that_ _she's_ _hiding_ _something_ _..._ Jack thought to himself.

"Well, anyway we're here," Elsa said, gesturing to the scenery ahead.

Because of the serious conversation they were just having, Jack had almost forgotten about the waterfalls and just blinked at the scenery before him.

Being an international racer, he's been to many places and has seen many more beautiful places but those were all completely man-made. And standing here at the Winter Falls, Jack felt a smile creep onto his lips as he looked around and took in the beauty of nature.

Just like Elsa had mentioned, there was a clean pond surrounded by huge rocks, and a huge mountain was at its side. There was a cave sized hole in it and water poured out of it and joined the pond. Jack also noticed two small changing rooms at a side of the pond just behind the bushes from where they stood, and noticed the 'Male' and 'Female' boards on the doors respectively.

"This isn't exactly a river so where does the water go after falling here?" Jack asked, his curiosity starting to take over him.

"The pond is quite deep and there's a hole and an underground stream which connects this place to a river...which is somewhere I don't know," Elsa recalled.

"Something the great Elsa doesn't know? Jesus Christ, the world is gonna collapse!" Jack grinned.

"Knock it off," Elsa playfully glared at him, shoving him a bit before crossing her arms. "So what do you think we do now?"

"Huh?" Jack blinked.

"You wanted me to bring us here, dummy. So what do you wanna do now that we've reached our destination? We can go around the rocks, climb them and sit up there to talk about what you wanted to know," Elsa suggested.

"Pfft, where's the fun in that?" Jack snickered.

"Well, what else do you wanna do?" Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"Snowflake, we're at such a beautiful pond. It would be a waste if we didn't take a dip," he grinned.

"Nope," she flat out rejected. "Not doing it."

"Aw come on!" Jack started whining, dropping his bag on the ground before he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her. "Dont be such a killjoy."

"You can whine all you want but we aren't gonna go swimming," Elsa huffed.

"Snowflake, you owe me a favour." Jack pointed out. "Which means you have to listen to my requests."

"But I am fulfilling your favour by _being_ here in the first place!" Elsa argued.

"But- I even helped you with the pipes by flying you to the ceilings! So that's another favour!"

"I didn't even ask you for help! You just randomly grabbed me and flew me around!"

"But you can't deny the fact that I helped you!"

There was silence for a few seconds before Elsa finally groaned in defeat. "I'm only doing this because of that one reason," She grunted.

" _Po-tah-to, po-tah-to_ , just get changed already!" Jack pushed her to the female changing room before he closed the door.

He heard her mutter something under her breath but ignored it as he picked up his own bag and walked into the male changing room, and quickly changed into a simple black T-shirt and black knee-length shorts. In all honesty, he would've just jumped into the water wearing his shorts -since he didn't have his swimming trunks- but he knew Elsa might freak out if she saw him shirtless so he decided to throw on the T-shirt as well.

Jack placed his staff and duffel bag in the corner of the changing room and headed out. He looked around and noticed that Elsa wasn't out yet, before he walked over and sat on the edge of one of the lower rocks, dipping his feet in the water.

_Aah_ _,_ _it's_ _so_ _cold_ _..._

Jack leaned his head backward, enjoying the coldness in his feet as he closed his eyes in bliss. He perked up when he heard the door opening and turned around to see Elsa wearing a dark blue tank top and a pair of white shorts which ended right over her knees. She kept pulling her tank top down as she walked out, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"You look cute," Jack smirked slyly when he saw the light blush on her face.

"Shut up. Its been a while since I wore clothes like these," She muttered under her breath, sitting down next to him and plunging her feet into the water. And just like him, she instantly relaxed and slightly swayed her feet in the water.

"It feels so cold and _good_ _!"_ Elsa grinned, leaning down and scooping some water in her hand.

"See? And you were so against swimming," Jack rolled his eyes.

"You said swimming, not relaxing on the rocks with our feet in the water," Elsa stated, pulling her legs out of the water as she stood up on the rock and walked around to stand behind him.

"So?" Jack raised an eyebrow, staring right ahead at the lake.

"So..." Elsa trailed off, bending and placing her hands on his shoulders and Jack went rigid when he felt her breath right by his ear. "I think it's only fair if you were the first to go down."

And with that, she pushed him into the water.

Jack spluttered as he came up, only to find Elsa laughing her head off. "You sly little fox," Jack smirked quickly raising himself out of the water.

Elsa turned to escape but Jack was already in front of her, sweeping her into his arms.

"I think it's fair if we both take a dip together," he grinned deviously before he jumped off from the rock. Elsa just screeched in surprise, catching her breath in as they went down the pond.

She quickly resurfaced and wiped the water on her eyes. "Couldn't you at least give me a warning before jumping into the water with me?"

"You didn't seem to have any problems when you pushed me in!" Jack accused.

"Whatever, your expression was worth it," Elsa smirked, before she scooped up some water and threw it at his face.

And just like that, they continued playing in the water like kindergarten kids, their nonsense of a banter never stopping throughout.

"Now you've done it!" Jack warned when Elsa pushed him backward. He took a deep breath before dipping into the pond and swam deeper, smirking to himself when he spotted her feet.

"What are you doing?" Elsa asked, looking around and searching for him. And before she knew it, something grabbed her leg and yanked her down. Elsa forgot to breathe and the water took no time to enter her mouth and nose.

She started choking, getting that worst feeling one gets when underwater. Strong arms grabbed her hips and brought her up, and Elsa choked and struggled to breathe once out of the water. She pushed him away from her and her temper increased even more when she heard laughter.

"Why you little-" Elsa started but she started choking again.

"Are you alright? I could always give you a CPR right now."

Elsa had her eyes closed, but she knew he was smirking.

"No thank you," Elsa grunted, finally getting over the chokes. "And wipe that smug look off your face. Seriously, all I did was push you back and the next thing I know is that I'm getting dragged into the water by a madman," she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I'm not a madman! And its called revenge," Jack stated.

"Whatever," She muttered under her breath.

Jack's eyes widened when she raised her hands to untie her bun, and he realised that her tank top was clinging to her body, not leaving much to the imagination.

_Well_ _,_ _hello_ _there_ _..._

"Eyes up here, mister," Elsa warned, glaring at him as she finally left her hair free.

Jack looked up with a flushed expression, and it only grew worse when he saw her usual tight bun now left out free to cascade down her back. Her hand reached up and pushed her bangs back and Jack just continued staring, gulping for no reason.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Elsa asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Wha- no, no, nothing's on your face," Jack replied, shaking his head violently.

Elsa just stared at him in suspicion before she shrugged to herself. "Well, we better get dressed. It's already evening," and she quickly swam to the edge of the pond. She planted her hands on the rocks and dragged herself up, feeling the weight of her wet clothes.

Meanwhile Jack stayed right in his place, staring at her as she raised herself up, extra water escaping from her clothes and dripping down her body.

_Damn_ _..._

"Are you coming or what?!" Elsa called out.

Jack snapped out of his daze and quickly followed her, internally scolding himself for staring at her so shamelessly. He was unaware of the fact that her icy blue eyes were staring at him as he climbed up the rock, his own clothes clinging tightly to his body. Both of them entered their respective changing rooms.

Once outside wearing his previous outfit and feeling partially dry -his hair was still wet-, Jack looked around and was surprised when he found Elsa already waiting for him in her previous clothes, except her scarf was stuffed into shoulder bag.

"So, how about we eat something while sitting on the higher rocks? We didn't exactly have lunch," Elsa suggested.

"Sounds good," Jack commented and they gathered their bags.

Jack asked her where they were gonna be sitting, and Elsa pointed at the highest rock, telling him that the peak is actually flat and perfect to relax during the evening. She started explaining to him that they'll have to go around the pond and they would see the rocks aligned in a staircase kind of manner, and Jack just rolled his eyes before he grabbed her bridal-style and flew over to the top.

"You do know that I'm completely capable of walking up here, right?" Elsa asked as he set her down.

"Yup," he stated, not bothering to explain himself. Elsa just raised an eyebrow at him, before she sat down on the rocks.

"Let's eat," she announced, pulling out two Tupperware boxes from her shoulder bag. She gave him one before getting a water bottle out of her bag.

"Is that a bag or a four-dimensional pouch with infinite space in it?" Jack joked.

"Are you referring to Doraemon?" Elsa narrowed her eyes.

"Of course I am! That is one of the best anime for children!" Jack stated as he opened his box. His stomach whined for food when the smell of Rapunzel's signature pie reached his nose. He quickly dug in, not minding that he was eating in front of Elsa.

"You're not a child, Jack," Elsa pointed out, eating her own pie, but more gracefully than him.

"I _used_ to be a child, and Doraemon was always every child's dream. I mean, who wouldn't love to have a cat robot from the future as their friend, and have it help us with literally anything and everything with such cool gadgets?" Jack argued, finishing up one piece before he reached out for the second.

"Doraemon literally shows how a boy is getting bullied, has a crush on one of his classmates, and how helpless he gets when his cat friend isn't around to help him. Moreover-"

"Do NOT insult the great series! Doraemon is an anime that shows the true meaning of science and friendship," Jack cut in. "And besides, I didn't know you watched any anime."

"Anna and Rapunzel might have made me watch a few," Elsa shrugged.

"Like?" Jack asked.

"Hm, I don't exactly remember but I think its name was Attack on Titan or somethi-"

"Hold up right there!" Jack held a hand up, effectively silencing her. "You watched _Attack_ _On_ _Titan_ and you're telling me you don't remember it well?! Disgrace on you, disgrace on your cow!" Jack huffed.

"Well, excuse me," Elsa huffed, "besides, I don't even have a cow!"

"Yeah, yeah, let the excuses keep coming," Jack rolled his eyes.

"It's not my fault you happen to be such a big anime fan," Elsa crossed her arms.

"It called an _Otaku_ _,_ honey," Jack corrected.

"That's actually supposed to be an insult in Japanese," Elsa pointed out.

"Otaku means someone who's obsessed with computers and stuff and is basically a nerd. But it is also refers to big fans of the anime and manga fandom," Jack stated like a huge scholar.

"I'm surprised you even know about it," Elsa smirked to herself, closing her now-empty box and shoved it inside her bag.

Jack gave her his as well, and the two just turned towards the pond and sat in silence.

"You were right, this place is awesome to just relax in the evening," Jack smiled, feeling the cold evening breeze brush past his face.

"This was always my favourite part when we used to come for picnics. We would just sit here and relax, and Anna would sometimes fall asleep in my dad's arms," Elsa smiled to herself, bringing her knees up and hugging them before she rested her chin on her knees.

"So I guess this is a good time to start with the stories," Jack suggested.

Elsa stayed quiet for some time before she slowly nodded.

"Here we go."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa's reveals everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REAAAALLLYYY long explanations coming up!

"Okay, so what exactly did you wanna know?" Elsa said to herself.

"How did you win so many of those Tachyons Cups, when did you win those, and why they were broken down in your basement which, might I add, is completely wrecked up, and finally, why is someone who's so good at racing as yourself, here in a small rink?" Jack asked.

"Now that's a lot of questions," Elsa stated dryly, "But I will answer them nonetheless. I do owe you after all. Is it okay if I start from my childhood?"

"That would be even better," Jack admitted.

"Okay," Elsa whispered, taking a deep breath before she started.

"I was born here in the rink, to Agnar Arendelle Winters and Iduna Winters. I've lived here for as long as I can remember, along with Anna, Rapunzel, and Merida. All of us became pros at ice skating, but Merida preferred Horse Riding more, Anna was interested in snowmen and Rapunzel loved cooking and painting. That left me to practice more than the others.

"My parents and Anna were normal by birth but Anna received her superhuman strength as she grew up whereas I was born with ice powers, which I inherited from my grandmother, and I really loved them. Anna and I would wake up in the middle of the night to play with my powers, make snowmen, have snowball fights, you name it. It went to the extent of Anna, Merida, and Rapunzel never leaving my side during summer because the weather used to be a lot hotter than it is now and I was able to keep them cool. I wanted to make them happier, so I started trying various things with my powers. And soon enough, my love for my powers grew so much that I wanted to learn more about them.

"I spoke to my father about this and he was reluctant at first, but he agreed after half a year of seeing how much my powers meant to me. So I left the rink and headed to the city at the age of eight. I joined a magical academy, which happened to be a boarding school, that taught children more about our powers. So I learned and continued developing my powers and myself. And that's when it all started.

"Soon enough, the announcement for the auditions for the Race of Rapidity arrived at our academy. Back then, Manny worked as a professor in our academy, and I knew him since he was also part of the rink. He was very impressed with my work, even though I was barely eleven at that time, and encouraged me to try out for the race. I wasn't too sure, but when he pointed out that I might get to know of many other people's powers as well, I auditioned.

"It wasn't easy, as you might know, because of all the training we had to do. There were times when I just wanted to return back home, but then I would remember how much dad and mom had sacrificed for me, and that drove me forwards. Manny agreed to train me and I trained much more than anyone in the whole academy. And soon enough, I came first in my academy for my performance, and I was selected for the Regionals.

"If I thought School level was tough, Regionals was worse. They trained us really hard and many even dropped out because they couldn't handle the stress. But as I told you, I wanted to know more so I pushed myself through everything. I met many people, and I was awestruck whenever I saw anyone's powers. But soon enough, thanks to the harsh training and Manny's motivational speeches, a new ambition stemmed into my heart- to win the Tachyons Cup.

"And of course, me being my usual self, I had plenty of doubts. All it took was one visit to the rink, where I saw how everyone was having a hard time without customers, and I was completely determined to win the Tachyons Cup. So I tried my best to win Regionals, knowing that the Regionals is where competitors get sponsored by whichever company gets interested in them. And finally, my hard work paid off, I won the Regionals in First place, and I signed a contract with Nightmares Inc. along with a few other racers.

"Though the company barely paid any attention to us newbies, we were given the freedom to do our own research. So I studied hard and received even more information's about powers, not only mine but others as well. I continued training with Manny, who had officially become my coach. We were taken to Quarterfinals, and I claimed my victory by coming first in this as well. And only at the quarterfinals did I realize that I was really fast and that I can make myself even faster. So being the nerd I was, I researched more and more, and came up with techniques and learned new moves by watching previous Tachyons Cup winners.

"And once I won the semifinals, our boss finally met up with me. We spoke for a long time and basically, he told me that if I were to win the Tachyons Cup, I will have the freedom to conduct any research I want but in return, I would have to sign a contract with Nightmares Inc. to not join any other company for the next ten years. Though I was pretty mature for an eleven-year-old, I spoke to my parents about this, and they, along with Manny, had a conversation with my boss. They came to the conclusion that I would continue working for Nightmares Inc. but Manny would remain as my coach.

"Finally, I entered the finals, where I would race for the Tachyons Cup. It was definitely worse than I had imagined, but I tried my best and finished the race with an obvious victory. My parents and my entire family at the rink was overcome with joy and Manny had been so proud of me. I received all the money, gifts and fame that came with winning the race, and for a while, I felt content; I was satisfied with my powers. And that's when I was told that I would have to compete in the next race as well, as a representative of Nightmares Inc.

"The next to few months were hectic, attending interviews, visiting places for advertisement, filming many things; goodness it was hell. I couldn't even visit the rink for a long time, but the support everyone sent along with the letters and small gifts was worth it all. And soon enough, I was given a break, and I headed straight for the rink. And that's the story of me winning my very first Tachyons Cup when I was eleven years old." Elsa smiled.

"That sounds pretty rough but amazing at the same time. But what makes it even more fascinating was the fact that you were merely a kid." Jack grinned.

"Excuse me, but I wasn't your average eleven-year-old who was obsessed with Disney Princesses and Barbie, etc. Anyways, I thought as I'll get used to the stress, but my second time was worse than the first," Elsa admitted.

"Why's that's?" Jack asked.

"My first time at Nightmares Inc., I barely knew anything, and just followed whatever Manny told me to do. But two years later, when I was thirteen, the next Race of Rapidity started and I was called back to the company. Winning the Tachyons Cup the previous year meant that I was directly selected for the quarterfinals. But this time, I was put under even more stress, what with attending a few more interviews and having a bodyguard tailing me every minute of the day. I used to beg for breaks, but I was never granted any. And the company's personal trainers joined in training me but were chased away many times by Manny. Being my coach the previous year meant he had become very popular as well, and things weren't easy for him. But I never let myself down and continued racing. And won the Race of Rapidity again, having developed greater than the last time.

"My third race two years later was pretty much the same, but the only difference was at that time, at the age of fifteen, I became the fastest. My current speed is nothing compared to how fast I was back then, and I won that race as well. To my delight, Merida had joined the race as well, but she could reach only the semifinals, where she came third.

"I was seventeen and preparing for my fourth race when everything went downhill. Nightmares Inc. started getting many more talented racers and slowly started losing interest in me, but my title as the only racer to win three consecutive races kept them from firing me. Besides, the President was a greedy asshole and he knew that if I was fired, the other companies wouldn't hesitate to hire me. I was fine till my semifinals, but I used to argue a lot with my other trainers and my manager, and that made the situation kind of difficult to handle.

"It was when I came back to the rink during my break before finals that I received the worst news I ever got: my parents had got caught in a storm when they were sailing for business matters, and they never returned. Their ship was found at the bottom of the ocean and their bodies were found almost eaten up by the marine life.

"I..." Jack cut in, completely taken aback by the information he just received. "I'm sorry..."

"Nah, forget about it. I'm done grieving and it's been long since I accepted that they've truly gone. It's just..." Elsa whispered to herself, and Jack watched on as Elsa leaned her head back and stared at the sky. "I just miss them a lot and I wish I could've spent more time with them," she admitted.

Jack wasted no time in sitting at her side, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders. Elsa froze for a few seconds before she placed a hand on his, which was on her shoulder.

"Thanks," Elsa gave a thankful smile, settled comfortably against Jack's side.

"The funeral was held a few days later but I wasn't allowed to attend, due to the finals being close. I was completely stressed and heartbroken, and I wasn't even able to practice for the next few days. Not able to handle any of it anymore, I begged my boss to leave me to return to the rink. He refused, but I was adamant about returning. It was only when he threatened me that he wouldn't hesitate to hurt Anna and the others did I realize that my boss and his company were just a group of monsters following one big devil.

"I was forced to train, and the fact that Manny was practically held hostage was the only reason I went along with the training. And then in the blink of an eye, I was standing at the beginning tracks of the finals, my mind just clouded with all kinds of thoughts. The race began and I flew with all my might, trying my best to concentrate on the race. But I couldn't.

"Memories of my peaceful childhood which consisted of midnight games with the girls, Rapunzel's mom reciting her favorite stories to all of us, Merida forcing us all to ride on the horse without her parents' permission- all of it just suddenly flashed before my eyes. I swayed a bit, trying my best to take control again, but my parents' and Anna's smiling faces fading into the darkness, their bodies being pulled out of the shipwreck and Anna begging me to stay as she clung onto me just played before my eyes, and everything else in the world just vanished. I was about to reach out to them-"

Elsa's hand reached up to the sky, making Jack's heart tighten in sympathy and sorrow.

"-when I completely slipped. I was clinging onto dear life by holding onto my snowboard which I use for flying, when one of the other racers, Hans Westerguard, also a competitor sponsored my Nightmares Inc. flew right over me. We were flying through a dark tunnel, but I could see his eyes gleaming in victory as he pulled my fingers off my board and let go of them just as we exited. I crashed to the ground from a great height, and I knew I was doomed."

"He deliberately pushed you off?!" Jack asked, horrified and furious that someone could do that and none of the officials spoke against it.

"Oh it gets even worse," Elsa stated dryly before continuing.

"I don't remember much of what happened later, but once I woke up, I was informed of having a fractured arm and leg, and several broken ribs. They told me that it was a miracle that I had managed to survive because a fall from such a height was a definite death for anyone. I just stayed in bed for days, often visited by my friends and family, Anna being the most frequent visitor. And while I was in the hospital, Manny took care of everything regarding my career, and he seemed to avoid me for some reason.

"Once I was well enough to sit up in bed, Hans visited. He was pretty smug about winning that year's Cup, but I barely paid any attention to him. And I was pretty straightforward when I asked him about what happened on the tracks. He just laughed, telling me that it was something the company had asked him to do.

"I consulted my boss about this when he paid a visit, telling me that he had 'missed' me and that he was 'worried' for me. He kept giving me the sweet talk but I showed him that I was in no mood for any of his bullshit. And that's when he showed me his true nature."

Elsa stayed silent for a few seconds as she took a few deep breaths and Jack just tightened his grip around her. Elsa leaned against him, grateful for his support as she continued.

"Pitch Black, the President of Nightmares Inc., was a complete monster. He told me that he had really wanted me to win, initially, but when I was on my break, Hans' father, a well-known businessman, came and spoke to him about how he wanted Hans to win that year's Race of Rapidity, having failed the past two years. Pitch had said that Hans winning wasn't possible as long as I was in the race, but Mr Westerguard couldn't care less as he insisted that Hans has to win. And right then, when Pitch got to know about my parents' death, he formulated a plan and set up a man to stalk me to see my behavior after my parents' death. Once he was sure that I wasn't in focus, he discussed his plan with the Westerguards and they were happy as well.

"And finally, on the day of the race, they put their plan in action and once I was in the tunnel, it turned out that I didn't slip on my own, but Hans had actually melted part of my snowboard. And well, you know the rest. I slipped and fell while he completed the race and won.

"Obviously, I was completely horrified when he told me about this, and even told him that I'm gonna go to the police. Pitch just smirked and replied that the power of the Nightmares Inc and the Westerguards is on a higher level than a simple seventeen-year-old, no matter whether I won the races or not. I didn't hesitate to curse him in very 'beautiful' words until he pointed out that me losing the race was my own fault, and Hans and the others just played a tiny part in it.

"And at that moment it struck me, that no matter what, it was my own fault for losing focus during the race. Yeah, Hans may have attempted to make me fall, but that wouldn't have happened if I had paid attention to my surroundings." Elsa whispered.

"Elsa, it was not your fault," Jack consoled her, looking at her face as she stared down at the rocks, "you literally just told me that this Pitch person and the Westerguards planned to take you out, how- how is that still your fault?"

"Jack, their plan consisted of me losing focus, which happened exactly how they wanted. Because if it had been the fifteen-year-old me, I would've finished the race as fast as possible instead of drowning in my thoughts," Elsa pointed out.

"You couldn't help it, your parents died and you couldn't even visit their funeral. I mean, how horrible is that?! As a person who's lost their parents, I know how you feel," Jack stated.

Elsa just stared at him in shock, and Jack's eyes widened when he realized what he had just blurted out.

"What-" Elsa started.

"I'm gonna explain everything later on anyways, so continue with your tale," Jack muttered.

"Okay," Elsa gave him one side glance, before turning to the sky again.

"Anyways, Pitch basically told me that I was fired now that I lost the race. And even though he told me that there was no point in going to the police, I tried filing a complaint anyways but it was rejected at once. I tried arguing about this but they merely looked at me before requesting me to leave." Elsa frowned.

"Didn't Manny back you up on this? And why does he hate you so much anyway?" Jack asked.

"The answer to the first question would be no, he didn't, because I never told anyone but Anna about this. And for the second question, honestly, I don't know. But I just have a feeling that his respect and love for me completely vanished after my race." Elsa answered.

"And why would you think like that?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I lived with him in the same dorm and considered him as my second father and he lovingly teased me and praised me until after my semifinals. But after we came back to the city from the rink, I wasn't in focus as much as I used to be. I messed up a lot during training and he would always give me a disapproving look. But after I lost the race, he completely despised me.

"A few days before the race, I became desperate and begged him to talk to me or tell me what's wrong. He wouldn't even glance at me before telling me to get to bed. He even put me in a different dorm after a few weeks. I guess the only explanation for his behavior would be that his star player became a loser and hence, he loathed me.

"I was an emotional wreck after getting discharged from the hospital, so I was brought back to the rink. I stayed in my parents' house for weeks, refusing to come out until Anna came and sat next to me, and spoke to me. I eventually told her everything about my life, and by the end, I was a sobbing mess. That was the day she encouraged me to not lose hope and to continue pursuing my dream.

"Of course, Manny had taken after my dad in taking care of the rink so I had to ask his permission to head to the city again. He refused, telling me that I had no reason to go back. I argued with him that racing is my dream and I want to continue racing, but he only looked at me and said that Pitch wouldn't hire me again, and he will make sure that I can't join any other company either. I was upset after that conversation and told Anna about this. She just woke me up in the middle of the night and we left to the city.

"As he had said, I couldn't join Nightmares Inc. again, and Pitch literally said to my face that the Westerguards have a lot to offer him than a girl from a small ice rink. But I tried visiting some other companies as well, and none of them were ready to hire me. After asking three such companies, I lost all hope of ever racing again and I returned to the rink. Manny completely avoided me for the next few days, but he had to talk to me once I started working for the rink. And he's hated me ever since. The end." Elsa sighed.

"Wow, that is one _heck_ of a tough life story," Jack commented, "what about your basement and the trophies in there?"

"After coming back to the rink, I stopped using my powers as they just reminded me of how much of a failure I am. So obviously, after being used for such a long time, my powers continued growing even though I stopped using them. And if I don't let it out time to time, it eventually bursts out, like air filling a balloon. So I needed a place where I could just relieve myself of my stress, and the basement was perfect since its existence is practically unknown, except for that door which you used to enter.

"And my trophies... I couldn't help it. Whenever I saw them, no matter whether it was my first or last cup, they just haunted me and reminded me of my past. But then one day, I couldn't take it anymore; I just grabbed all of them and blasted them in the basement. But they didn't break since they're made from some magical metal. So there you go, my complete life story has been recited," Elsa finished.

"If that story was written in a novel, it would be the best selling book of all times," Jack stated.

"Blah blah, now tell your story," Elsa demanded.

"Do I have to?" Jack whined.

"Yes, now start talking," Elsa insisted.

Jack just huffed, before he glanced back at the rock they were sitting on, before looking at Elsa again.

"Can we lie down?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack reveals everything.

"Okay, now we're lying down. So get on with the storytelling already!" Elsa complained.

After a long argument, Jack finally convinced Elsa that it would be much more comfortable if they laid down on the rocks while he explained. Of course, she had refused while blushing slightly, but Jack just stated that he wouldn't share his story unless both of them were comfortable. Left with no other choice, Elsa had sighed and had laid down, and both were looking up at the purple-ish orange sky before Elsa said the above sentence.

"Geez okay," Jack grumbled before he sighed and started his tale. "You wanted to know why I'm so obsessed with winning the race right?"

Elsa nodded.

"To tell you the truth, I was never interested in the Race of Rapidity, or about anyone's powers or whatever. I was just a young innocent boy -stop choking Snowflake- who lived in a small village and wanted to have fun and make others happy. But all of that changed when my father passed away when I was about ten years old. I could do nothing except watch as my mother struggled to look after my younger sister and me while working at the same time. 

"So once I hit my fifteenth birthday, I started working about three part-time jobs to help my mother. She didn't want me to work, but she understood that I had to, if we wanted to live comfortably. Our house was a lot more peaceful after that. We both worked all day but made sure to spend some time with each other and with my sister, Emma, who is ten years younger than me. I think she was sadder about my dad's death than mom and I because she was born just two months after dad's death.

"Anyways, life was perfect for the three of us until after my seventeenth birthday, when my mother was diagnosed with some disease. That was probably the biggest shocking news I had heard in my entire life. Emma and I tried our best to support our mom, but she was hospitalized a few months later. I had managed to get a job, but I couldn't pay all the bills with it. And soon enough, my mom passed away, a month after my eighteenth birthday. 

"Emma and I cried for days and nights, and I tried my best to manage a living for Emma and myself with the wages I received. But the worst part of it all was I knew that mom would have survived if she had received proper medical care. And the reason she couldn't get any help was that I couldn't get any money for her bills. I didn't work hard enough, I wasn't _strong_ enough, and as a result, she was taken." Jack whispered the last part.

"Jack, no matter what you tell yourself, in the end, you know you couldn't have done much," Elsa spoke softly.

"Well, its too late to convince me otherwise," Jack commented dryly.

"So then, after a whole year of grieving, I was sick and tired of watching the people I love fade away right before my eyes. I wanted to be stronger and become more capable to help people who are close to me. And I was scared that I might lose Emma as well, the only person I have left. And that's when I decided that I wanted to be more powerful. I started working on my powers first of all because the only reason I used them was to play with children. My ice powers proved to be a total waste, so I focused on my wind powers instead."

 _No magical power in this world is a waste, Jack..._ Elsa thought to herself.

"On one such day when I was playing with my wind powers, I bumped into an old friend of my father's, who was practically family back when my dad was alive. We sat down and spoke for hours together, and he told me about the Race of Rapidity. Since I was born in a village, I didn't know much about it, except that it was a high-class competition which only rich people can take part in."

"Seriously?" Elsa snorted, "Then lemme tell you that I am actually a billionaire who joined the race because my pockets were overfilled."

"Haha, hilarious. Anyways, I was completely captivated as he told me about this race, and the only thing that my brain could come up with was that I can become more powerful and earn a _lot_ of money at the same time. I asked him how I can enter the race, and he told me that there are different methods, but the most common one is to be part of a magic school where you compete with others and make your way to the Regionals. Obviously, I didn't have time to waste or the money to get myself an admission to any magic school. Moreover, I was already eighteen, so I asked him about any other way.

"And that's when he told me that I can get selected for the Regionals if I become a trainee at his company and get selected by the trainers there. He's actually the CEO of a famous sports company called the Guardians Inc. So I started working hard and finally got selected to be a trainee a few months after I turned nineteen. But the selection for that year's race was already over, so I continued training hard. And my effort paid off as I got selected for this year's Regionals and came first place in it.

"But two years of harsh and nonstop training changed me a lot; physically and mentally. My initial goal was to become more powerful so that I can win the race, earn a lot of money and support Emma, but it soon changed and now all I care about is winning the Tachyons Cup. And hence, keeping that goal in mind, I aced the quarterfinals and the semifinals and I was just on my way to achieving my ultimate goal when I got stuck here. And there you go, the end!"

The two of them stayed silent after that until something popped up in Elsa's mind.

"Where do all your flirting habits come from, though?" She asked.

Jack grimaced before answering. "It's just something that my trainers and fellow trainees told would work... Especially if I needed a favor or if I was in trouble..."

"Didn't help you much this time, huh?" Elsa smirked.

"It was a complete waste of time and effort." Jack groaned.

"Well then, your sister, Emma- does she live with you?" Elsa asked.

"Nope. I left her with my father's sister when I left for my training." Jack replied casually.

"You said you've been working nonstop for two years, right?" Elsa asking, sitting up so that she could see his face as she asked her questions.

"Yup," Jack raised his arms and placed his hands below his head.

"And does this nonstop mean you didn't see your sister at all?" Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"Um... I did visit her a couple of times..." Jack trailed away, looking away from her piercing gaze. He glanced back and saw her glaring at him, which made him groan. "Okay, fine I admit it. I visited her for the first few months until I became completely obsessed with developing my powers. I haven't seen her for a year or so."

"Jack are you an idiot?!" Elsa hissed before smacking him hard on the arm.

"Ow, that hurts!" Jack whined, rubbing his arm.

"Why didn't you visit her?" Elsa asked.

"Well, I told you! My goal changed and I became obsessed with winning the race! And besides, Emma is safe and happy with other kids her age in my aunt's house," He complained.

"Do you really think she's happy?"

"....yes?"

"That sounded more like a question than a statement, meaning you aren't sure whether she's happy or not."

"Look, at least she doesn't have a useless older brother hovering over her, who can't even maintain a low-wage job properly," Jack grumbled.

"Goodness, I knew you were stupid but not _this_ stupid!" Elsa groaned. "Jack, both of you have lost both of your parents. And you even said that Emma was probably sadder because she couldn't even meet her father. So after your mom died, just like how she's the only one you have, you became the only one she has! I mean, what would you do if Emma, the only person you rely on, suddenly left you a few months after your mom died?!"

Elsa had this sudden urge to slap him when he gave her a blank stare as realization slowly crept onto his face, but she held herself back.

"You imbecile, come to your senses already!" Elsa grabbed his jacket collar and yanked him up. "What are you gonna do once you achieve that title of Tachyons Cup winner? How can it even come of use? A title is just a title, Jack! It can easily slip away from you when someone else appears. But the family isn't like that! No matter what you go through, the first ones to stay by your side will always be your family! And you just left yours, initially for her sake, but gradually for your own. Don't you feel guilty?!"

Jack just stared at her, regret making its appearance along with guilt and sadness.

"I-I-" he stuttered, speechless at her outburst.

"You moron," Elsa sighed, pulling him up even more so that he sat up straight. "Be honest with me. Did you even speak with Emma?"

"I- yes, she called up when I was leaving for California," Jack admitted.

"And how did she sound?"

"...sad."

"And did you feel bad when you heard her voice?"

"...yes."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes," he replied without any hesitation, unlike his previous replies. His own eyes widened in surprise at the quick reply while Elsa just smiled and moved her hands from his collar to his shoulders.

"Then talk to her," she advised, her voice soft and assuring, "She's the only family you have now, and I'm pretty sure she'd love to see you too."

"She wouldn't," Jack muttered, looking down at the rocks.

"And why's that?"

"My goal wasn't the only thing that changed. As my training proceeded, I started isolating myself from others and from Emma. I wanted to change, so I completely changed myself. I started wearing black all the time, I got piercings done in my ear, I always dye my hair white, I became a huge flirt and I even changed the form of my staff from a wooden hooked stick to a steel-black villain's staff coz others told it would look better. Goodness, I even changed my name from Jackson Overland Frost to Jack Frost because my original name sounded old-school." Jack admitted.

"And how were you before all of this?"

"I wore blue most of the time because both Emma and I loved blue, I was just a normal guy with brown hair who was charming and worked as a part-time pizza delivery boy," Jack muttered.

"Jack," Elsa started, making him face her by placing both of her hands on his cheeks, "it isn't a matter of the past or present you. Because you are who you are. Do you wish you never became the person who you are now?"

"Well, I do like myself other than a few habits of mine," Jack admitted.

"You see, if you like who you are, then it means you are being yourself. Past self, present self, all of it was you and no one else. So no one can ask you to change. You need to do that on your own. It's your decision if you want to change some aspects of yours. But the one thing I'm telling you is to never ignore your family again. Because you know the pain of losing your parents, and I do too, and if I were to lose Anna, I would jump off a cliff and die. Do you wanna lose Emma like you lost your parents?"

"No," phat came the reply.

"Then talk to her. Explain why you were being an asshole to her this entire time. I am sure she'll understand and come to forgive you," Elsa smiled.

Jack just stared at her smiling face and had this sudden urge to hug her. But instead, he gave a weak smile. "Thanks, Snowflake," he whispered.

"No problem. Now get up, it's getting dark and Anna would kick your ass if we turned up late." Elsa grinned, standing up and wrapping her scarf around her neck.

"You should seriously take up the job of a counselor or something," Jack teased, but he had a fond smile on his face.

"Nobody's got time for that," Elsa replied in a sassy tone as she swung her bag on her shoulder, "besides, I know how uncomfortable it is to talk about your traumas to a complete stranger. Not for everyone, though."

"Then what about me? Am I a complete stranger?" Jack asked as he picked up his own bag.

"I think you're at least at the first level of being friends since you literally know my past," Elsa replied as she waited for him.

"Oh Snowflake, I thought we were more," Jack pouted, though the mischievous glint in his eyes made her blush a bit.

"Of course we aren't! Why would I date an idiot like you?" Elsa grinned.

"Fair point, Milady," Jack nodded, making her laugh under her breath. "Let's get going now." He stated, walking towards her to lift her up again.

"We can just take the stairs," Elsa pointed out, stepping back a bit.

"Nah, where's the fun in that? Besides," he trailed off, grabbing her waist and yanking her towards himself. "I love carrying you in my arms."

"You know how I told you about changing some aspects of yours?" Elsa started, her face a little pink as Jack pressed her against his own body. "You really need to change these flirty habits of yours."

"But why?" Jack whined, lifting her up bridal style, "As much as I hate it, flirting with _you_ gives me a completely different sense of joy. And I know you like it when I flirt with you."

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"What's the proof?"

"That adorable blush on your face, which just increased when I called you adorable."

"I'm not blushing! It's because of the cold!"

"But you have ice powers!"

"That doesn't mean I'm not human!"

And their endless bickering continued on as Jack flew them to where the motorbike was parked.

He quickly retrieved the hidden helmets and they were off to the rink, finally silencing themselves.

.....

"Hey Snowflake, we're here," Jack stated as he took off his helmet.

Unlike the first time they rode the bike together, Elsa had her arms wrapped around him as she leaned her head against his back.

 _'I wouldn't even if I was falling to my_ _death'_ _she had said.._ Jack thought to himself with a smile on his face.

She had been silent for the entire ride, and that gave Jack time to think about everything that they had spoken about.

And now, after reaching the rink, Jack called out to her once more but Elsa stayed in the same position, which made Jack wonder.

_Is she..._

He almost laughed out loud when he saw that she was fast asleep, but his laughter turned into a fond smile when he felt her arms tighten around him. Normally, he would've ripped her off him and would've walked away, but his perspective of her changed drastically after these past few days. And the way she gently advised him after hearing his story was, in his eyes, truly marvelous.

_As much_ _as_ _I love it when she's hugging me, I need to take her back..._

"Hey Snowflake," Jack poked her cheek gently, "time to wake up."

"Fiv' mo' min'ts.." She mumbled, burying her head in his back.

_Awww..._

_Jack get a hold of yourself!_

Though his face was scorching red right now, Jack continued poking her cheek and sighed when she didn't seem to have any plans of waking up any time soon.

_That leaves me with no choice then.._ _._

Jack turned around to the side and wrapped an arm around her to hold her straight before he got off the bike. Elsa made a sound of protest but Jack just slid her off the bike and carried her bridal style. Elsa quickly snuggled into his chest and Jack just looked down and smiled at her as he walked around the rink. He noticed the lights on in the supper hall and walked in, only to dodge a steel tumbler that went flying over his head.

"JACK FROST WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER?!?!" Anna roared as she ran towards them.

Jack screamed in a girly manner before he ran and hid behind Kristoff.

"I swear on my mother's grave that I didn't do anything to your sister! We were sitting and talking and she fell asleep on the way here and- _ohmygoodnesspleasedon'tkillme_!" Jack rambled, his words barely understandable as he hid behind the blonde.

"You have two minutes to run before I rip off your little-"

"Now now Anna, calm down and let him explain," Rapunzel stepped in, grabbing Anna's shoulders and yanking her back to make her sit down.

_This_ _girl_ _is_ _**scary** _ _**...** _

"Thank you," Jack gulped.

"Well, you better explain fast or even Punzie won't be able to hold me back," Anna crossed her arms.

"I told you, we were returning from the waterfalls when she fell asleep. I tried waking her up but she wouldn't so I thought I'll carry her. I saw the lights still on here so I came to see you guys," Jack repeated.

"Really, are you sure you didn't drug her with anything?" Flynn joked, but then he gulped when he saw Anna glaring at him which made him raise his hands in surrender. "Just kidding."

"But I wanna know what happened the whole day. Start talking," Anna demanded.

"Geez, fine" Jack rolled his eyes, before he looked down at the platinum-blonde in his arms. "Don't you think we should put her in bed first?"

"Okay then, get her here. I'll go and set her in bed and then we can discuss today's events," Anna stated and held her arms out for Jack to place Elsa.

"Are you sure you can take her on your own?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Are you forgetting who I am?" Anna asked, her own eyebrows raised.

"Oh yeah, you're Hulk's successor," Jack muttered as he walked forward.

"What was that, Frost?"

"Nothing, ma'am." Jack squeaked.

But just as he reached her, Rapunzel leaped forward and grabbed Anna. She pulled her away and the two started whispering something to each other.

"What are they talking about?" Jack asked.

"Trust me, its probably something you wouldn't want to know," Flynn patted him on his shoulder.

.....

"But why should I let him carry my sister to her bed? What if he tries to do something to her and-"

"Anna," Rapunzel cut her off by placing her hand on Anna's mouth as she stared at her determinedly. "Don't you ship those two?"

"I do! I just think its too early for him to take her bed to and-"

"Jelsa?" Rapunzel reminded her. The strawberry-blonde just stared at her for a few seconds before she sighed in defeat.

Anna turned around to the men and walked over to Jack before crossing her arms.

"Can I trust you to leave her in bed?" She asked. Jack, Flynn, and Kristoff just blinked in shock and glanced at Rapunzel before looking at Anna again.

"What?" Jack asked, dumbfounded.

"I asked, can you leave my sister in bed?" She repeated, before sighing and dropping her arms to her side. "I still haven't had my dinner and Punzie here pointed out that I can probably finish up by the time you return and we can talk."

"Are you sure? Because then I'll have to remove her mobile from her pocket, remove her scarf, jacket, her boots and-"

"Why you little-"

"Anna calm down!" Rapunzel jumped forward again and hugged Anna from behind her before she looked over at Jack.

"Just leave her in bed, Jack. Anna and I will go later and make her comfortable," she stated.

"Okay..." Jack trailed off before he turned around and walked away.

His arms felt a little numb from carrying her for so long but Jack wasn't bothered by it as he walked towards her house. It was surprisingly open and Jack walked in and up the stairs and reached her room in no time. He held her more tightly when he tried opening her bedroom door, and Elsa snuggled closer to his chest.

He finally got through and looked around the neat and organized room. There was a desk to a corner and opposite to it was her bed, and there were a few photos hanging on the walls. All of them were of her family, her parents, Anna, Anna and Elsa, and the rest of the members at the rink. He looked at each one with a smile on his face until he noticed that there wasn't even a single trace of anything related to the race.

Jack gently set Elsa on her bed. Elsa had a small smile on her face, her hair spread out on the pillow behind her head. She pulled her legs up, curled into a ball and hugged her knees as she slept.

_She_ _._ _Is_ _._ _**Adorable** _ _**.** _

Jack smiled to himself before he finally got up. He gave her one last glance as he closed the door.

.....

"So to sum it up, she owed you so you took her on a date, both of you took a dip and you spoke about each other's tragic background stories," Flynn stated.

"Pretty much," Jack nodded.

"So you didn't do anything romantic?" Rapunzel asked, with an are-you-kidding-me kinda expression on her face.

"Well, swimming with her and the ride was pretty romantic, I guess," Jack admitted before he realized what he just told. "I mean, it didn't have to be romantic. I just wanted to know about the trophies, that's all! I said it would be a date, but both of us knew it wasn't a _date_ date. Yeah, not _that_ kind of date."

"Okay..." Flynn trailed off awkwardly.

"I just have one thing to ask you, Jack," Anna stated, leaning forward from where she sat across Jack on the other side of the table.

"Do you like my sister?"


	12. Chapter 12

"What?" Jack blinked, becoming blank for a second.

"I asked whether you like my sister?" Anna rolled her eyes.

"Um, yeah. I mean, she _did_ tell that we're at least friends now and I respect and admire her a lot-"

"I meant romantically."

"Oh." Jack paused, his mind flashing with all the almost-kisses and other moments they'd had. "Of course not."

"Is that so?" Anna muttered, her face showing a mixture of relief and sadness, though Jack had no idea how both the emotions could appear at the same time.

"Yeah." He convinced himself.

"Do you plan on hurting her?"

"What? Why would I?!" Jack raised an eyebrow. "Like- yeah, I did hate her when I first came here coz she is the one who made me stay here -I still haven't forgiven her for that- but given everything she's gone through, I can kinda understand her skepticism and that Mr Moon might've punished her more if she had just let me go."

Everyone looked surprised at his words, their eyes wide and eyebrows raised, and Flynn even had his jaw dropped.

"Well," Rapunzel spoke up, breaking everyone out of their shock, "that's sweet of yo-"

"But that doesn't mean I'm happy with staying here either," Jack cut in. "I'm just waiting to finish this whole business with the rink so that I can get to my race in time! I'm probably on the news everywhere as we speak!"

"Seriously dude?" Flynn deadpanned.

Jack smirked. "Why are we even talking about this? It's not like I'm gonna stay here forever. I'm almost done with the rink, I have just a few more things to take care of and after that, I'll be out of here before any of you can even blink."

And after that, Jack turned and walked to his room.

He fell on his bed, staring up at the ceiling as his heart started eating him up. He sighed when he reran his last words in his head, his brain showing him flashes of when Elsa had comforted him after he told her about himself.

_If_ _it_ _had_ _been_ _me_ _from_ _three_ _years_ _ago_ _,_ _I'm_ _pretty_ _sure_ _I_ _would've_ _become_ _great_ _friends_ _with_ _all_ _of_ _them_ _by_ _now_ _..._

_'if you like who you are, then it means you are being_ _yourself.'_ _'It's your decision if you want to change some aspects of_ _yours.'_ _She_ _had_ _said_ _._

_I_ _guess_ _this_ _cockiness_ _is_ _one_ _aspect_ _I_ _would_ _love_ _to_ _get_ _rid_ _of_ _..._ _But_ _it_ _literally_ _has_ _become_ _my_ _defense_ _mechanism_ _from_ _when_ _the_ _other_ _trainees_ _made_ _fun_ _of_ _me_ _for_ _being_ _poor_ _..._

He groaned loudly and flipped over to lie down on his stomach. He buried his face in his pillow, trying to forget all that was going on in his head.

_Think_ _of_ _something_ _positive_ _..._   
_Think_ _of_ _something_ _happy_ _..._

' _ **I think it's only fair if you were the first to go**_ _ **down.'**_

Jack opened his eyes again when he remembered Elsa as his first happy thought. The fun moments of that afternoon when they had played around in the water and later when he had wrapped his arms around her to comfort her just flashed before his eyes, and Jack gulped, trying hard to convince himself that he did _not_ like her in that way.

He rolled over in his bed and tried hard to think about something else. Soon enough, his memories from his earlier years when he played a lot with Emma and the other children resurfaced and Jack smiled as he continued dreaming about the time when he was happy with his family and didn't have any big problems to face.

And just as he closed his eyes, his staff glimmered -slightly- in the dark, the metallic steel black colour fading away in the darkness as its original form slowly resurfaced, the top of the staff curving into the wooden stick Jack had always used.

.....

_What_ _the_ _hell_ _is_ _happening_ _...?_

Jack blinked in confusion and jumped out of the way as Merida's younger brothers ran past him, carrying big trays of food in their hands.

He turned around and saw equal -if not more- amount of haste across the rink as everyone readied their shops. He walked over to Flynn's shop, where he was hurriedly cleaning the counter while Rapunzel brought a new batch of apple pies and placed them for display.

"Yo dude, what's going on with everyone?" He asked, leaning against the counter.

"Customers! We're having customers!" Flynn yelled before running into the bakery himself, helping his wife to bring all the chocolate cookies.

"So?" He asked again, only to be ignored as the couple fussed over cleaning their shop.

Jack sighed in frustration and walked out of the bakery and headed over to Kristoff and Anna's shop, only to be met with a huge pile of ice in the middle of the shop. "What the heck?!"

"Oh my Gods, Jack, can you please help us out here?" Anna tugged on his sleeve.

"Uh, sure?" He replied though he was already being dragged to the huge ice mountain.

"Clear this up, would ya? Kristoff cleaned his stupid clothes -which were covered in ice after he came back today morning- _and_ placed all his stupid ice blocks _right_ _in_ _the_ _middle_ _of_ _the_ _shop_ _!_ Like, who the hell is _that_ stupid?!" She continued raging as she paced around the entire shop, arranging all the miniature ice carvings, which never melted unless exposed to extreme heat.

Jack remained confused as he lifted the ice using his powers and guided them out of the backdoor. After dropping the ice near a tree, he returned inside and just raised an eyebrow when he saw that instead of cleaning, Anna was messing up the shop even more.

He walked out of the shop again and decided to go check on Elsa, knowing that she didn't own a shop.

_I_ _mean_ _,_ _I_ _can_ _check_ _up_ _on_ _her_ _,_ _right_ _?_ _She_ _did_ _say_ _that_ _we're_ _at_ _least_ _friends_ _..._

He walked up the small flight of stairs and knocked on the door. Hearing no reply from inside, Jack turned the knob and to his surprise, it opened. He slowly opened the door, checking if she's anywhere in the living room, before walking up the stairs to her room.

Just for his own safety's sake, Jack knocked on the doors and this time, he heard a muffled reply, which was barely audible. He knocked again and waited as he heard shuffling inside the room.

"Anna, I told you to go aw-" she stopped mid-sentence when she found the white-haired racer instead of her bubbly sister. "Jack, what the heck are you doing here?"

"Um, everyone is panicking outside so I came to see what you were doing." Jack shrugged, his eyes darting to her messed up hair and her disheveled clothes.

Realising that her appearance wasn't the best, Elsa sighed. "Gimme a minute." And she closed the door.

Jack walked downstairs and waited on the couch and sooner than he had expected, Elsa came down as well, dressed up in her usual long skirt and full-sleeve blouse.

They walked out together and Elsa sighed again when she saw the anxiety and panic everywhere. She clapped her hands loudly which made everyone stop and turn to her.

"Guys, can everyone please calm down?!" She yelled, walking around the rink towards them with Jack following right behind her.

"But Elsa, customers are coming!" Anna exclaimed.

"And they're gonna freak out when they meet with a bunch of overexcited adults!" Elsa pointed out.

"But-"

"No buts. We've rehearsed this before so please calm down and return to your shops before Mr Moon arrives." She announced.

There was grumbling but they listened to her and headed to their shops.

"Wow," Jack muttered, impressed that she got them under control within minutes.

Elsa rubbed her temple with her index and thumb finger, sighing in frustration again. "I think you need to start planting new trees to replace the ones you uprooted."

"What? Right now?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. Ask Kristoff for the plants. Then you can dig up some good spots with Merida and Rapunzel's help where you can plant them." And saying so, she walked into her house and slammed the door behind her.

Jack stared at the door for a few seconds before making his way to Kristoff and Anna's souvenir shop. He noticed Anna fixing the ice carvings while Kristoff hung a few handknit sweaters for display.

"Um, Kristoff? Elsa told me to ask you for the plants, or something?" He asked.

Kristoff went to the back of their shop and called him over. Jack saw that he was holding a few average-sized juniper trees, which were planted in pots. The two of them, with Anna's help, took each tree and placed it near every tree that was uprooted and after that, Rapunzel and Merida arrived to check for nice spots to plant them.

Meanwhile, Jack got a shovel from Flynn and waited for the girls to call him. He looked around the rink, unconsciously searching for something and was bummed out when he saw that Elsa's door was still closed and she had not come out even once. Unknown to himself, he glanced at her door and window plenty of times and even felt the urge to go check on her by flying to her window.

He really considered it, seeing how his staff was just chilling in his room. Speaking of which, Jack had been flabbergasted when he woke up and saw his staff turned to how it had been before. He had also noticed that the staff hadn't become completely normal. Its original shape was back but its colour was still black, which made Jack realise that his feelings were returning but he was still doubtful, which explained why the staff was still black.

Just as Jack got up to check up on her, Anna and the others called him and he sighed, picking up the shovel as he made his way to them.

....

"Well, you've successfully finished planting two of them! Just eight more and you'll be done!" Merida smirked.

Jack threw the shovel to the ground, bent and placed his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He had just thought that he just had to dig a hole, place the tree and close the hole. But the three women made sure that he cleared the snow, dug the holes with correct depth and shape, making him place the tree himself before he covered the spot around the tree with snow again.

At first, Jack took it up as a challenge but by the end of the second tree, he was exhausted and sweating from head to toe. He had ditched his leather jacket, knowing that it would just come in the way, which left him in a pair of black jeans and a black T-shirt, which was soaked in sweat and mud.

He rubbed his wrist on his face to wipe the sweat, only to notice the mud on his hands and face as well.

_God_ _,_ _I_ _hope_ _she_ _doesn't_ _see_ _me_ _this_ _way_ _..._

All of a sudden, the Dunbroch triplets came running and stumbling towards their sister, knocking each other aside to reach her first.

"Woah, what the hell?!" Merida exclaimed, leaning forward to catch them before they fell face-first on the ground.

"They're here!" The three boys exclaimed before running off again.

"Holy sh*t!" Merida cursed as she followed them, screaming for her mom as she reached their shop. The other two women took off as well, their panic levels rising again.

_What_ _the_ _hell_ _,_ _they're_ _just_ _customers_ _..._

_..._ _who_ _can_ _help_ _me_ _get_ _out_ _of_ _here_ _!_

Jolting in realisation, Jack threw the shovel away and ran to the rink, looking around for the newcomers, only to be disappointed.

_You've_ _got_ _to_ _be_ _**kidding** _ _me_ _..._

Jack groaned internally when he saw an old couple, probably in their 60's, arrive on an old-model scooter bike, which was slower than a toddler. They had emotionless faces as they drove around the rink, not showing the least bit of interest in the shops.

"Hello sir, ma'am. Would you like to rest and have a cup of coffee?" Rapunzel asked sweetly, only to be ignored.

Anna stepped up next, followed by her boyfriend who was holding a few sweaters. "Welcome to Arendelles' Souvenir Shop! Would you like to take a look at our handknit sweaters? Or maybe our tiny ice carvings? Just the best in the world!"

And she received just as much attention as Rapunzel did.

"How're ya doin, sir, ma'am? Want a sword to fend off naughty kids from interrupting your peaceful day? Well, you're at the right place coz we have the best swords and other stylish weaponry to decorate your place with!"

And as expected, absolutely no response.

They followed the old couple, advertising their shops in all kinds of different ways which just increased Jack's sympathy for them. And ignoring them for a few minutes, Jack crept towards the couple and walked right next to their slow bike as he explained.

"Hey there! You know me, right? I'm Jack Frost, the racer nominated for the Tachyons cup in the Race of Rapidity!" He stood right in front of them, blocking their way.

The old couple barely raised their eyebrows before driving around him.

"Hey, look! I've been made to stay here against my will! If you could contact my team, they'll come and get me out of here! I'll even let you have a part of my reward money once I win the race! Hey! Wait!"

Not paying the slightest heed to his words, the couple just continued on their way and were out of eyesight soon enough.

Jack stared at the direction they had left, frustration and anger building up in him. He let out a few curse words, blaming his rotten luck for everything that was happening to him.

"That didn't work, huh?"

Jack jumped, turning around only to find a smirking Elsa staring at the direction the couple had driven off in.

"Shut up." He mumbled.

"I thought you'd learnt your lesson that you won't be leaving until you finish clearing up the mess you created." Elsa sashayed away.

"I'm still not giving up, Snowflake." Jack followed her.

"Yeah, yeah. I've got a little consoling to do so see ya." She sighed, walking over to her family.

Only then did Jack notice just how disappointed everyone was, that the customers had left without buying anything. He saw how perfectly Elsa handled the situation, talking softly to each person and suggesting they do something to cheer themselves up. It took approximately an hour for her to finally raise their spirits and as they left, Jack saw how she sighed in exhaustion.

"Well, you look tired." He commented.

"So do you." Elsa started walking back to her room.

"Been working in your room all day?" Jack guessed.

"Yup. See ya."

Elsa returned to her house and closed the door again, and Jack lifted the shovel and continued his work.

.....

After finishing about five trees in total, Jack decided to call it a day and went to his room to take a shower. Once he was done, he dressed and headed down for dinner, noticing that Elsa hadn't come.

After supper, he silently flew over to her window, peeping in to see what she was doing. He raised himself a little higher and left his entire head through the window, looking around in search of her.

"It's rude to stalk people, you know."

Jack whipped his head to the side and found Elsa sitting at her study table, her face pressed against a book like she was frustrated at the book.

"It's not stalking. Its called ' _checking_ _up_ _on_ _your_ _friends_ _coz_ _they've_ _been_ _busy_ _the_ _whole_ _day_ '." Jack stated, hoisting himself into the room.

"You know, its bad manners to enter a woman's room without her permission." She finally raised her head but continued staring at the book.

"That would apply only if this seemed like a woman's room. Looks like you're living in your office day in and out!" He exclaimed walking over to see what she was doing.

Elsa closed the book and looked up at him, and Jack noticed the exhaustion in her face.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She grumbled, getting up and stretching before she walked towards the window. "All this work has drained me mentally. I'm going for a stroll. You better head back to your room."

"Wait!" Jack leapt front and grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Can I come with you?"

Elsa merely raised an eyebrow, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks when she eyed his hand on hers. Noticing this, Jack quickly let go but continued staring at her for an answer.

"Aren't you tired after working the whole day?" Elsa asked.

"Well, I need a break too you know." He shrugged.

Elsa considered it for a second before walking to the window. She raised her hands and frost flew out, forming a bridge of ice with railing on both sides. She gingerly touched the bridge and the frost turned into solid ice below her fingers. She slipped through the window and walked on the bridge, taking a few steps before partially turning to see him.

"Well, aren't you coming?"

And she smiled.

And that was all he needed as he smirked back and walked on the bridge, alongside her under the moonlight.

.....

Rapunzel stirred in her sleep, opening her eyes when she felt Flynn sit up in their bed. "What's wrong?"

"My senses are telling me that Jack is flying away." He muttered, holding his forehead.

"What? Then go wake Elsa up and go after him!" Rapunzel sat up as well.

"The thing is..." Flynn looked at her, "she's with him."

"Huh?" Rapunzel blinked, unable to believe her ears.

"Yeah. They're heading out... together?" Flynn stated, confused at what he was saying. "You think he kidnapped her?"

"What the hell?" Rapunzel whacked him on his head. "Of course not! This is Elsa we're talking about. She'd kick his ass if he tried to."

"Yeah. But then, why will they both be going out at this time?" He asked her.

Rapunzel smirked and kissed him on his cheek. "Who knows? Now get back to bed. We don't want to disturb them."

"Huh?"

"Good night, Eugene."

"But-"

"Honey, they'll be alright. Sleep now."

"Okay..."


	13. Chapter 13

"Snowflake, come on! Speed up!" Jack called out, stopping and turning around to look at her.

"Jack, you know that I don't like to fly. When I told that we're taking a break, I didn't mean we'd be flying." She pointed out.

"But don't you think we'll reach more places and see a lot more if we're flying and not walking?" He asked.

"But I don't like flying." She mumbled.

"Really? I don't believe that." Jack stopped mid-air, raising his eyebrow.

"It's true." She shrugged, flicking her wrist once again as the ice bridge expanded before her. "I really don't like flying anymore. Or my powers. Or myself, to be honest."

"Well, no matter how smart you are, you're an idiot if you don't like yourself. And I didn't mean about shit like self-love or whatever -though that's important- I meant it like 'anyone who doesn't like _the_ Elsa Winters is an idiot' kinda thing." He grinned cheekily.

As he had hoped, Elsa looked at him and gave him a 'what the hell' look but Jack knew she wasn't offended by the smile she gave, which she seemed to be trying very hard to hide.

"But you didn't like me." She pointed out.

"And I had my fair reasons- reasons for which I still haven't forgiven you." He glared at her playfully, which just made her laugh.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Some random dude comes and causes chaos and I wasn't just going to go, 'Oh hey, you just broke our main source of income so here you go! We'll shower you with all our love and affection and go nuts over you because you're some celebrity and then we'll send you on your way!'"

"That would've been cool to watch." He smirked. "Besides, it's not like my charms worked on you anyway. You literally had a deadly sharp icicle between my eyes!"

"Yeah sure. Said celebrity dude starts flirting with me so lemme fall for him and give him my heart." She rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't mind that." He added suggestively.

"In your dreams, sucker."

"Aww." He pouted, a light-bulb shining over his head after hearing her last word. " _But I'm a sucker for you._ "

"You did not just-"

Jack smirked before placing his hand on his heart. " _Say the word and I'll go anywhere blindly._ "

"Don't you dare...!"

" _I'm a sucker for you..._ " Jack continued singing, and Elsa tried not to laugh as she hid the fact that she was impressed by his singing. " _Any road you take, you know that you'll find me._ "

"Enough, Jack-!"

" _I'm a sucker for all of the subliminal things no one knows about you._ " Jack sang as he flew around her. " _About you, about you, about you."_

"Jack, I swear-" Elsa held herself back from giggling.

Jack smirked again, pretending to not notice her giggling. " _And you're making the typical me break my typical rules. It's you._ "

He looked directly at her as she smirked as well.

" _I'm a sucker for you._ " Both of them finished at the same time before they burst out laughing.

Elsa was the first to control her laughter before she rolled her eyes. "I'm still not gonna fly, Jack."

"Then I'll do the flying and you can just cling onto your Prince Charming."

And before she knew it, Jack reached behind her and swept her in his arms and started flying away.

Surprised by his sudden speed, Elsa threw her arms around his neck and yelled at him but Jack just laughed it off as he sped up.

"Seems like someone's been practicing," Elsa commented once she calmed down.

"Yup. Need to beat you if I want to claim the title of the fastest in the world." He smirked.

"Never in a million years, Frosty."

"We'll see about that, Snowflake."

And they continued bickering as Elsa gave him the directions and a few tips with his flying techniques. Jack listened to her, commenting something snarky now and then but following her instructions obediently. They took their own sweet time flying around mountains and looking around at the vast spread of trees and wildlife.

Jack wondered how far he had run from the road on that day, if Jamie made it out safely and if he would ever find his way back. And at that moment, guilt pierced through his heart when he remembered how he had just abandoned Jamie instead of putting up a fight. He bit his lip, hoping and praying that Jamie had escaped as well, that nothing...bad...happened to him.

"Jack...?" Elsa called out, noticing their speed decreasing as Jack frowned in concern.

"Huh?" He snapped out of his trance, looking down to stare at the wide blue eyes of the Snow Queen in his arms.

"Is anything the matter...?"

"O-oh, its nothing." Jack shook his head, shifting her in his arms as he picked up his speed. "So, are we there yet?"

His heart skipped a beat when she smiled and nodded, turning her head as she pointed to the tallest mountain of the area.

"The North Mountain."

.....

 _"_ _Elsaaaaa_...."

"I'm not doing it."

" _Please_ _?"_

"Never."

_"_ _Snowflake_ _..."_

"I literally told you not even _minutes_ ago that I don't wanna fly." She sighed, sitting on the peak of the snow-covered mountain and swinging her legs like she was sitting on a normal chair.

"Okay, how about this?" Jack asked, floating in front of her. "You can teach me how you did that impossibly fast turn- the one you did in our race. And in turn, I'll stop pestering you about flying."

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Well, I have a race in a few weeks and I wanna learn all your tricks so that I kick the other competitors' butts."

_And_ _probably_ _even_ _that_ _Pitch_ _guy_ _and_ _his_ _company's_ _._

"Jack, I'm not sure... I..."

"Elsa, you're just gonna teach me how to use my powers 'cause unlike you I never studied too deep into uses and tactics of my powers. So you're technically not racing or flying." He shrugged.

She seemed to consider it and after a few minutes she sighed and nodded.

"Sounds fair, I guess."

Jack mentally cheered, knowing that his victory was now certain.

"But..." She started.

 _But_ _...?_ He repeated in his mind.

"Not today. I just want to relax and return home later." She admitted.

"Okay, I understand."

They stayed quiet after that. Elsa stared up at the moon, remembering all the fun times when Anna, Rapunzel, Merida and she would sneak out at night and play with her powers until they ended up falling asleep in the backyard, for which they usually got an earful from their parents on the next day.

Meanwhile, Jack sat down next to her and stared at her from his peripheral view. He jumped when Elsa caught him and smirked at him.

"Like what you see?" She asked teasingly.

"Yeah, your smile's really cute." He shot back.

"Oh, really?" She drawled, kinda taken aback that he actually admitted it.

"Yup. Shame I can't see you fly again, though. We can't do anything much other than talk if you're just gonna sit there and stare at the moon." He sighed.

"What _do_ you wanna do?"

"Well," he smirked like he was expecting her to ask that, "we could always have a romantic dance below the moonlight."

"Up here?" She raised an eyebrow, trying to push down her blush. "We'd be buried knee-deep in the snow before we even start the dance."

"In that case, we can just make a platform for ourselves and dance on it." Jack pointed out.

Elsa made a show of considering it before looking at him with a sly smirk, which Jack couldn't help but think looked _hot_ _._

"Rejected." She grinned.

"Aw man." Jack pouted, falling backward and lying on the snow. "Okay then, we could just jump into the frozen pond below and kiss underwater."

Elsa burst out laughing, a new blush blooming on her face. "Where the hell did you get that idea from?"

Jack shrugged. "Percabeth."

"You ship Percabeth?"

"You _know_ Percabeth?"

Elsa smacked his head, which was easier since he was lying down. "Who doesn't? I've read all the books, _including_ Magnus Chase, The Kane Chronicles, _and_ Trials of Apollo."

"Wow. So, who's _your_ favourite ship?"

Elsa smirked. "Solangelo."

"Never saw that coming." Jack grinned before snuggling into the snow, his head resting on his palms and his eyes closed. "But anyway, I'm outta ideas on what we can do."

Elsa just stared at his relaxed face for a few minutes, seeing the moonlight literally shine on his silverish-white hair before remembering what she had initially planned. She stood up and dusted the snow off her clothes before starting to walk down towards the foot of the mountain. Hearing her move, Jack jumped into the air and floated next to her as she walked.

"Where're you goin' now?" He asked.

"A secret place which only I know of." Elsa grinned.

"Is that so?" Jack raised an eyebrow and quickly swept her up in his arms. "Lead the way, Milady."

"Not again." Elsa sighed and tried to get out of his grasp but it obviously didn't work.

She eventually gave up and started guiding them down the mountain and through a bunch of big and dense trees. Jack diligently followed her instructions and wove their way between the thick trunks and came to a stop in front of a few trees which were standing way too close.

"We'll have to walk from her," Elsa stated, hiking up her long skirt as she made her way through the trees.

Jack tried to keep up and almost lost her a few times, only then realising that she was very agile even without her powers. And he also noticed that the more they walked, the closer the trees were and the place grew darker. Even his staff didn't give him enough light to see around.

"Hey Snowflake, wait up! I can't see you!" Jack yelled, blindly walking between two trees and almost slipped by stepping on a root.

"You're a lost cause." She grumbled.

And just before he could bump into another tree, Elsa grabbed his hand and continued walking, dragging him behind her.

After a little more walking, Elsa finally pulled him into a small clearing and Jack collapsed on the snow, rubbing the various spots where he had been scratched. By the time he was done, Elsa had already started roaming around the tiny clearing.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Looking up, Jack's lungs stopped working as he gawked at the scenery before him. The small clearing amid the woods was surrounded by trees significantly smaller than the skyscraper-height trees they had just walked through. The clearing was very small, thirty people would fit in the maximum, and Jack doubted anyone could see it from up in the sky. But the clearing looked extra stunning due to the smaller trees with no leaves, thin branches covered in frost with frozen teardrops hanging from every branch.

And what made all of this _more_ gorgeous was the platinum-blonde standing right in the middle of the clearing, facing him with the softest smile he had seen in his entire life.

"I- _uh-_ um, I-I guess." He stammered.

Elsa walked towards him and Jack's heart thundered in his rib cage. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to stand before letting go as she turned around again.

"Follow me."

And she ambled forward, leading him to what seemed to be the biggest frozen tree, which was just twice his height. She kneeled down and scooted closer to the tree, urging Jack to do the same. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Jack gulped as did the same, sitting so close that their arms were pressed together. Trying not to let her fragrance distract him, Jack focused on what she was pointing at and saw text scribbled on the trunk. He recognized a few letters and made out the words _'_ _Queen_ _Elsa_ _'_ and something else written down next to it. But the other words were barely noticeable or understandable because there were huge cuts and scratch marks over the words.

"What..."

Elsa turned around and sat down, leaning against the tree. "I carved those when I was young. I don't know whether I've told you this but before my obsession with my powers, I actually dreamt of becoming a queen. So when I got lost and found this place, I fell in love with it and decided that if I were to build my own home, I would build a castle up in the mountain and this would be my secret garden. Pretty stupid, right?"

"Nope," Jack responded, leaning against the tree as well, maintaining their proximity. "But a queen, huh? I guess it suits you."

"What? Because I'm evil or something?" Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"Nope." Jack smiled. "You just have this- uh-a royal _aura_ that just makes people want to treat you like royalty. You're graceful, elegant, formal, caring, reserved and very intelligent as well. I swear you beat every queen in the world when it comes to being so- _sophisticated_."

Elsa blushed, her gaze turning to the ground where she noticed frost spread around them in a barely noticeable pace. "That's a lot of adjectives. But thanks."

"No problem."

A calm and silent atmosphere settled upon them until Jack remembered something that he had wanted to ask.

"Hey Snowflake? Um, this is probably a very touchy subject but I was curious... After coming back and- you know, settling down, did you ever- like- have a new dream- a new ambition, or something?"

Elsa seemed to think about it for a few seconds before answering, "Not exactly, I guess. I've always wondered what I would be doing right now if I had fought against Pitch. If I had got justice and if I had still continued racing. Obviously, things wouldn't have been the same, but at least I wouldn't have grounded myself. If I had to pick a dream or an ambition, it would be to be able to fly again without any regrets and to provide my entire family with the most comfortable and happy life."

"Both of them sound like something _you_ would definitely desire, " Jack smiled.

Elsa smiled back before shrugging, "Not like both can come true anyways. I don't have the guts to fulfill the first one and I'm working hard even now to fulfill the second."

 _Even your first dream_ _is_ _possible, Snowflake,_ Jack thought, his eyes trained on her for a few seconds before he looked away.

They sat there a for few moments until Elsa noticed Jack trying to stifle a yawn. She then remembered he had been working all day and decided it was about time they returned home.

"Wanna head home?" She asked, standing up and dusting the snow off her clothes.

"Huh? So early?" Jack groaned.

"In case you haven't noticed, it's already about midnight and the others will freak out if they find both of us missing." Elsa reminded him. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Flynn already knows we're out so we better return home fast."

"But I wanna spend more time with you." Jack pouted, giving her the puppy dog eyes.

"And I'm sleepy so we're leaving." She deadpanned.

"Your wish is my command, Your Highness." Jack gave her a dramatic bow to which she rolled her eyes.

Jack stepped closer to her to pick her up and noted with surprise and delight when Elsa automatically wrapped her arms around his neck. He stared at her questioningly, his lips tilted upward in a sly smirk. But Elsa seemed confused by his expression so he just shook his head and took into the sky.

.....

"Well," Jack placed her down in her room, "goodnight, my queen."

"I'm not your queen," Elsa grumbled with an adorable blush on her face. "But anyway, goodnight Jack."

And after shooting one last smile, she shut the windows and Jack flew down to the ground. He quickly collected all the materials that he had been using to plant the trees, placed them all near Flynn's backdoor and lifted his staff again to fly back to his room when he heard someone clearing their throat behind him.

He turned around and his heart jumped in fear and dislike.

"Mr Frost." Manny addressed him politely as he strolled over. "Such a surprise to see you out of your room so late in the night."

"I was just keeping the tools back near Flynn's door so that it would be easy for me to use them tomorrow," Jack informed, trying not to sound bitter.

After hearing Elsa's story and how Manny basically disowned her just because she lost a race, he was struggling to maintain any respect for the man before him.

Manny seemed to ignore his words as he glanced at Jack's staff in his hands. Jack saw a flash of disappointment in Manny's eyes as he sighed.

"Is Elsa seriously stupid enough to give you your staff back?" Manny asked.

Jack raised an eyebrow defiantly.

"I see my assumption is true." Manny guessed by his reaction.

"Elsa is not stupid." Jack ground out.

Manny seemed surprised by Jack's sudden anger. "Mr Frost, isn't Elsa the one who ordered and had you stay here until you fixed everything?"

"So?"

Manny just gave him an amused smile. "I just can't believe that you're defending the person who's holding you captive."

"Well, I guess we're kinda friends and I've learnt what kind of a person she is. And honestly, it kinda pisses me off every time you hate on Elsa." Jack crossed his arms.

"Lemme guess," Manny tilted his head like he was thinking, "she told you her great life story and how she amazingly messed up in her last race and that I'm the villain in the story?"

"Nope. Pitch was the villain." Jack deadpanned. "Besides, she even blamed herself because _you_ hated her! Like- no- she didn't hate you because you've been ill-treating her for _years_ now. Rather, she's blaming herself for _making_ _you_ _hate_ _her_ _._ How does that even work?!"

"Mr Frost, are you..." Manny gave him a look mixed with suspicion and disbelief, "are you in love with her?"

"That's beside the point."

"You didn't deny it."

"I don't love Elsa," Jack stated.

_I_ _might_ _just_ _like_ _her_ _-_ _platonically-_ _but_ _Love's_ _too_ _strong_ _a_ _word_ _._

_Yeah_ _, right_ _._

Jack fought against the blush rising to his face, which was obviously noticed by Manny.

"By the way," Manny started, "I've heard that you've been visiting empty grounds to practice for your upcoming race."

"Yeah. Even the tiny bit of confidence I had in myself vanished after racing with Elsa." Jack sighed.

"Then you must be pretty pathetic if Elsa beat you so easily." Manny smiled.

Jack just blinked, offended by being called pathetic _and_ the insult directed towards Elsa.

"Look," Jack started, "I don't have a clue of what you have against Elsa. She's always done what you tell her to do, she works her ass off for this place, she even swallows her pride and doesn't stand up for herself when you insult her in every way possible. So why _do_ you hate her?!"

Manny's fake smile turned into a glare at once. "Some things are better left untold, Mr Frost."

"Not when you're hurting the feelings of the person whom you abandoned when they needed you the most." Jack hissed. "Besides, I can admit it. Compared to Elsa, I _am_ kinda pathetic. That's because she's worked harder than anyone else and has won the Tachyons cup literally _three_ times!"

"She failed big time during her fourth."

"Yeah, for something that wasn't her fault!"

Manny seemed surprised and amused at his last comment. "Wasn't her fault? Mr Frost, how can falling off her snowboard in the middle of her race be 'not her fault'?"

Jack just rolled his eyes before glaring accusingly at Manny. "Lemme just ask you this." He took a step closer to Manny as if challenging him. "Have you ever wondered how your star student, someone who literally won the Tachyons Cup _three times_ , could have done such a _simple_ mistake like falling off her snowboard? I mean, it's not like you _actually_ saw her slip off her snowboard, is it?"

Manny couldn't find an answer so he settled with glaring at Jack, who realised that his plan was working.

"How could Elsa, whom you practically _raised_ for at least _eight_ years, just fall off her snowboard especially when at such a great height? Its a miracle that she even survived such a great fall."

"She wasn't acting like herself before or during the match." Manny ground out.

"And why was that?" Jack raised an eyebrow cockily.

Manny seemed hesitant to answer but he hid his hesitation well. "Her parents had passed away a few weeks previously."

"And what did you do to help her out when she was grieving? She goes back home before finals only to receive the news that her parents had passed away. What should have happened was Elsa should have been allowed to stay home and attend the funeral and it should've been her choice whether she wanted to continue with her finals or not.

"But instead she was forcibly brought back to train and was made to race in the finals. And during all this, she had no one she could rely on. No one except you. And here's my genuine question, Mr Moon." Jack gave him a look of curiosity and accusation.

"What did you do the whole time? Did you help her out by letting her grieve by staying with her? Did you fight against the company for her sake? Or did you just kick back and thought it'd be fun to watch her suffer?"

The sound of Manny's fist clenching was heard clearly in the silence of the night but that didn't intimidate Jack. Rather, it gave him the satisfaction that his words were getting to Manny.

"Don't just assume and judge my actions, boy." Manny tried to keep his voice calm but his words came out in a very threatening manner. "I don't see the necessity to answer your questions."

Jack merely raised an eyebrow as he replied. "I'm sorry if I hit a nerve, Mr Moon. But if you're getting offended, then that must mean that I was right." He shrugged nonchalantly.

Manny's glare intensified but Jack merely smirked.

Jack turned his back to Manny and started walking away, but didn't stop talking. "It's not like you understand how it feels to be a racer anyway. And you don't understand how Elsa felt either. So..."

He stopped at the doors of the hotel before turning around to look at the man who was staring at the ground.

"...no wonder you hate her so much."

He shut the door.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gore warning in the beginning of the chapter.

_"Where the heck am I...?"_

_Jack looked around but saw nothing. The darkness was so overwhelming that it made him run out of breath. He walked aimlessly and then blinked when a sudden howl was heard in the distance._

_'What the hell...'_

_He walked towards the howl, which was followed by a few more howls and growls. He started running towards the sound but then stopped when something else was heard._

_A human scream._

_So loud and painful that Jack wondered if they were being tortured. He picked up speed and flew towards the noises when all of a sudden, a spotlight shone on something a few yards in front of him and Jack stopped abruptly, his staff slipping from his hands as he stood frozen in shock and horror._

_Under the light was Jamie, lying on his stomach with a bloody arm stretched out towards Jack. His other limbs were bitten and ripped out, his clothes were torn and there were bite marks and flesh ripped out in many parts of his body._

_"Ja..._ _mie_ _...?" Jack whispered, willing his legs to move but his body didn't seem to listen to him and kept him stuck in his spot._

_Jamie lifted his head up and Jack's eyes widened, even more, when he saw a half of his face eaten off._

_"No..." Jack leaned backward in horror and landed on his butt._

_"Run... away... Jack..." Jamie breathed out._

_Suddenly, many pairs of bright glowing eyes appeared all around them and Jack stifled a gasp when he recognized them._

_"Please, go, Jack!" Jamie whimpered, sounding hurried and panicked._

_"No... I can't..." Jack whispered, fear coursing through him._

_"Ja..." Jamie was cut short when something stepped out of the darkness and launched itself on him._

_He screamed and writhed in pain as many more Nightmares pounced on him, ripping out the flesh from his body. Even his voice was muffled as one of the Nightmares stood between Jamie and Jack, eating away at the rest of his face._

_"Jamie, NO!" Jack finally moved and took a step forward. He realized he wasn't moving at all and looked down at his own body._

_Ropes of black sand were wrapped around his arms, legs and his waist. He tried moving but it was useless and his powers didn't seem to work as well._

_Another_ _heart-piercing_ _scream echoed throughout the place and Jack whipped his head around, seeing a Nightmare having Jamie's hand in its mouth._

_"NO!"_

_Hearing his scream, the Nightmare turned its head and walked towards him, Jamie's hand still clasped between its teeth. It spat the hand out and sprinted towards Jack._

_Suddenly, a shadow flashed before his eyes and that was the last thing Jack saw._

.....

Taking deep and ragged breaths, Jack looked around and realized that he was still in his room in the rink and not in a weird dark place.

He looked down at himself, wearing only a pair of shorts, his body covered in sweat. He patted his arms and legs to check if he was really tied in ropes or if that was just in the dream. There were no ropes but Jack couldn't shake off the sensation of the ropes on his arms.

He didn't remember the dream completely but a few scenes played in his mind, enough for Jack to remember what his dream- or for a better word, his _nightmare_ \- was about.

_Was that really just a dream...? Is Jamie really okay...?_

Jack bent forward and held his head, trying to get rid of the horrible images of Jamie attacked by the Nightmares. He remembered the last Nightmare which had come running towards him and his eyebrows furrowed in thought when he remembered the final shadow.

_What was that...? The horses felt like a dream but the shadow felt real..._

Just then, Jack saw the silhouette of someone flying past his window.

He quickly jumped out of bed and grabbed his staff, approaching the window and throwing the curtains aside. He looked around and blinked in surprise when he saw Manny standing in the middle of the rink.

_The heck is he doing down there at... 4_ _A.M_ _. in the morning?!_

Jack quickly ran downstairs and successfully hid behind a bush from where he had a clear view of the man.

Manny was looking up at the sky, breathing fast as if he had been running. He was holding his cane in his hands, the lower end pointing at the air in front of him.

Jack continued watching in wonder as the lower end of the cane glowed and Manny drew something like a circle around the rink, an outline of the rink glowing in air, just a few centimeters above the ground. He stood on the circle and the minute his feet touched the light, the width of the circle widened until it looked like a race track. 

Manny took a deep breath and started flying over the track. He started out slow but as he continued flying laps around the track, his speed picked up and when he finished his third lap, there was a sudden burst of energy which knocked Jack back. He quickly recovered and looked around but Manny was nowhere to be seen. He suddenly looked up and saw Manny shooting up towards the sky.

After reaching a certain height, he turned around and continued flying in the same direction by flying backward. And with another burst of energy, he flew towards the ground and landed smoothly.

Jack watched with a dropped jaw as Manny waved his cane around and the glowing track disappeared.

_What the heck was that speed...? I almost couldn't follow him with my eyes..._

As if he sensed another person, Manny suddenly looked in his direction and Jack scrambled backward to hide from his view but ended up slipping and fell hard on his back.

"Whoever is hiding out there, come out this instant," Manny ordered.

Jack hesitated but decided it would be better to show himself rather than getting caught by Manny forcefully.

"Mr Frost." Manny didn't even sound surprised. "Why are you here? More importantly, why are you awake at this hour?"

"I could ask the same about you," Jack raised an eyebrow.

Manny just ignored him and turned away to return to his room.

"Wait!" Jack called out, lurching forward to stop him.

Manny paused and half-turned towards him.

"The speed you just flew in... It's not normal for someone to fly _that_ fast..." Jack stared intensely. "Even for a coach."

"What are you suggesting, _Jack_?" Manny glared at him.

"You're a racer as well, aren't you?"

Manny just continued glaring before he abruptly turned away and started walking back. "You really need to stop assuming things, Frost."

"I'm right, aren't I?" Jack insisted, following him.

"No."

"Then how can you-"

Manny turned around suddenly. "Why do you wanna know?"

Jack paused. "I... I just wanna know- because I've got my race coming up and none of the racers' speed is even _close_ to yours or Elsa's!"

"Just because I'm _fast_ doesn't mean I was a _racer._ " And saying so, Manny turned and started walking away.

"Wait, then just tell me how you pulled off that last move!" Jack walked behind him.

Manny stopped but didn't turn to look at him. "There are different ways to turn around without wasting any time. You just have to find the method you're most comfortable with."

And he left.

Jack just blinked in confusion.

"Wait a second, at least tell me one of the methods!" 

.....

"So you eavesdropped on him when he was racing?" Elsa blinked in shock.

"Yup." Jack dug up a little more mud and threw it aside before accepting the water bottle from her. He went and sat next to her on one of the benches around the rink. "And he said that I should find the method I'm most comfortable with, for turning around abruptly."

Elsa just leaned back in her seat. "He said the exact same thing for me too. And I found my own comfortable method." 

"How?"

Elsa shrugged. "It depends on how you use your powers. I used to make huge curves to turn around but then I figured out that I can just freeze the air behind me after I turn around, and then continue flying. Manny usually turns around and bursts out the energy behind him so that he can keep up his speed."

Jack just groaned and leaned back on the bench, turning his head to her and poking her cheek. "Just tell me what I should do, Snowflake."

Elsa just swatted him away and got up. "You'll have to figure it out yourself, Frost." She gave one last smirk before walking away.

Jack just continued watching her with a small smile on his face.

"You sure you don't like my sister?"

Startled, Jack jolted and fell out of his seat. He quickly turned around and saw Anna and Rapunzel peeking their heads out from behind the trees which were directly behind the bench.

"Were you spying on us?!" Jack asked.

"Just answer the question, Frost." Anna sat on the bench and crossed her legs.

Jack groaned and looked at them in exasperation. "How many times do I have to tell you? I _don't_ like your sister romantically."

Rapunzel, who was standing next to Anna, crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow with a smirk on her face. "So you're telling me you never even _considered_ doing anything romantic with our sister?"

Jack couldn't help but blush, which was noticed by Anna and Rapunzel, but nonetheless, he shook his head in denial, his eyes looking down at the ground as his ears turned red.

Anna and Rapunzel shared a look, deciding to play along and _not_ ask him about his obvious reaction.

He expected them to fangirl or something but they just stood up, patted his shoulder and walked away.

_What the heck just happened..._

Jack picked up the spade and continued digging, his body working on autopilot as he 'buried' himself in his thoughts.

_Why does everyone think I'm in love with Elsa when I'm absolutely NOT?!_

He glanced up when he heard her name and saw her helping Mrs Dunbroch by stopping the triplets from pilling swords on top of each other. He didn't realize he was smiling as he saw her laugh until someone knocked hard on his head.

"Ow!" Jack turned around to scold the person and saw Merida looking at him with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. "What was that for?!"

"Either do your work and dig the place or just sit down and stare at Elsa all you want."

Jack turned pink at the accusation. "What? I wasn't-"

Merida just pointed down and Jack looked down and realized that he had dug up too much mud. He grimaced and smacked himself on the head before picking up some mud and throwing it in.

Once Merida was satisfied, he lifted the small tree, placed it in the dug up space and started covering the roots with mud again.

"Finished already?" Asked Anna asked she walked towards them with Rapunzel, who was holding a plate of cookies.

"Could have finished it long back if Jack hadn't decided to dig too much as he stared at Elsa." Merida rolled her eyes.

"Oh really?" Rapunzel smirked.

Jack groaned, knowing where this conversation was headed to as his frustration from before resurfaced.

"Girls, leave the poor guy alone. He said she's just a friend, didn't he?" Anna drawled with a lazy and smug smirk on her face.

"Oh yeah..." Rapunzel followed her lead, "it's not like he likes Elsa, right?"

"Pretty sure he doesn't _love_ her, either." Anna circled around him like she was eyeing her prey.

"I don't love Elsa!" Jack hissed, his fists clenched in irritation and frustration. "Can you please stop talking about this?!"

"Of course, " Rapunzel nodded, "that's exactly what we were saying."

"Love's a very strong word." Anna pointed out. "I'd say you at least like her and that you're way past the point of having just a crush."

"I don't."

"You're lying." Rapunzel crossed her arms confidently.

"I'm not!"

"Are you _sure_?"

"I don't like her!"

"You're blushing." Anna poked his cheek.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Rapunzel shrugged. "We support your relationship."

"Exactly." Anna nodded.

Face red with anger and embarrassment, Jack gave an angry huff before he looked up at them and glared as intimidating as possible. "What do I have to do to get it through your thick, cement-coated skulls that I don't like her?!"

Anna shook her head. "Stop lying to yourself and just accept it!"

"I don't like Elsa!"

"But-"

"I said I don't like her and that's it! I can decide for myself who is worthy to be liked by me!"

Anna's eyes flashed with anger at the indirect insult -or at least what seemed like an insult to her- that Elsa wasn't _worthy_ of his stupid affection and she opened her mouth to voice her anger. But then she stopped, seeing something behind Jack. Her eyes widened and she bit her lip, not knowing how to react. Even Merida and Rapunzel had similar reactions.

Jack furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and turned around to see what caused such reactions.

And at that moment, he cursed his own mouth for saying the things he just said.

His heart dropped to the very bottom of his ribcage and his breath was caught when he saw the betrayal and pain in Elsa's eyes.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. And when she opened them again, they were cold and distant, all warmth and friendliness vanished into thin air. Jack recognized her expression and realized that this was how she had looked at him when he first crashed into their rink.

"Elsa-"

He stepped forward to explain himself but she gave him a smile- a cold, _fake_ smile which would have convinced them that she didn't mind what he had said- except for her eyes which were devoid of any emotion.

"Have a good day." And saying so, she turned and walked away from there.

_Wait,_ _Els-_

_**Don't.** _

And for the first time in weeks, Jack listened to the other voice in his head and stood his spot.

He turned around and saw varying degrees of guilt on the three girls' faces.

"Ja-"

"If you could please move, I would like to continue my work."

"Jack we're sor-"

Jack walked past them, grabbed the shovel and started digging through the mud for another tree.

Anna and Rapunzel shared glances and took a step towards him but they stopped when they felt a hand on their shoulders. Merida shook her head and led them away, telling them that he probably needs some time alone.

.....

"So... Did anything happen, today?" Flynn asked, sitting down for dinner with the others. He glanced outside, where Jack was determinedly planting the trees.

"Why would you feel that way?" Rapunzel smiled nervously.

"Well, " Kristoff joined in, "he's been working non-stop and even finished dinner before we all could even bring our food."

"And Elsa hasn't even come down for dinner, " Flynn pointed out.

Ana and Rapunzel shared a glance, wondering if they should tell the truth.

"Nothing much, " Merida decided to answer for them, "Anna and Punzie here were trying to make him admit that he likes Elsa. The idiot screamed out loud that he doesn't, right when she was behind him. And since then, both have been absolutely quiet."

Flynn and Kristoff blinked in shock before turning to their respective wife/girlfriend. The women in question just ducked their heads and looked down at the ground in guilt.

"So..." Kristoff started, breaking the awkward atmosphere, "did you apologize?"

He guessed the answer to his question when Anna and Rapunzel sighed in vain before Anna decided to answer. "He didn't give us a chance to. Not like we were waiting for him to talk. It's just that he's been avoiding every single person as much as he can."

They remained silent as they finished their meal and headed outside. Flynn tried to talk to Jack but all he got were one-word responses. The girls tried to get Elsa to come out for dinner but there was no reply from the other side of the door. Deciding to solve the problems in the morning, they head to their houses and got ready for bed.

.....

Flynn sighed, twisting and turning in bed, not able to sleep while trying to keep his senses alert on Jack. He got up and walked outside, where Jack seemed to be digging the ground for the last tree.

"Not gonna sleep?" he called out, making Jack stop and turn around.

"Could ask the same to you, " Jack retorted.

"Can't sleep while making sure you don't escape." Flynn shrugged.

Jack turned around completely, facing Flynn properly for the first time that day. "How about you switch off your powers for tonight. I promise I won't try to escape till my work is done."

"Tempting. But how can I believe that you won't be escaping?" Flynn cocked up and eyebrow.

"I haven't tried to escape for at least a month now, you know?" Jack pointed out.

"Which makes it all the more suspicious." Flynn crossed his arms.

"Come on bro, did I ever lie to you these past few days?"

"Yes. Yes, you did."

"Okay, that was a stupid question. Point is, you can trust me. Racer's honour I won't escape!" Jack crossed his heart.

"I don't know how much I can trust this racer's honour that you speak of."

"Elsa was a race, wasn't she? Merida was a racer, wasn't she?"

Flynn seemed to consider his words. "You sure you won't escape?"

"Of course!"

"You're _really_ sure?"

"Yup."

"Honestly and completely sure?"

Jack huffed and stomped over to Flynn before turning him around and pushing him towards his house. "Yes! Now go cuddle with your wife for all I care!"

Flynn still seemed unsure as he walked inside his house and turned to close the door. "Okay then, I'm trusting you dude."

And he closed the door.

.....

"Oh my God!"

Flynn jolted awake, looking around wildly while reaching for his hidden frying pan. Seeing no danger around, Flynn grabbed his trustee pan and walked out of the house, searching for his wife.

What he didn't expect to see, however, was a neat and bright ice rink, covered by a thin layer of snow. He blinked in shock and looked around, seeing snow on every house and on the trees surrounding the rinks.

Rapunzel was standing by the corner of the rink, staring in shock and awe at the rink which was looking as new as ever. Her scream of surprise had woken up almost everyone living around the rink, including Flynn.

"The rink is fixed!" She exclaimed, running around the rink towards Anna who just emerged from her house, followed by Kristoff, both having varying degrees of bedhead.

Anna straightened, all traces of sleep fading away from her face as she whispered, "It is..."

Upon seeing the rink, Kristoff's eyes shot wide. He stumbled forward and held the railings which were around the rink, starting at the clear ice reflecting the colour of the sky above.

"It's beautiful..." Kristoff whimpered.

"Why are y'all being so emotional over a rink where we've been living literally from when we were born?" asked Merida, trudging over to them grumpily.

"It's been at least a month since we saw the rink in all its glory so just let them be."

They all turned around and saw Elsa walking towards them, already dressed in formal clothes consisting of a pencil skirt, a blouse, and some pencil heels. Her hair was pulled into her signature bun and she held a duffle bag.

"Going out somewhere?" asked Anna, walking towards her sister.

"The President has called us up for a meeting to submit all our reports tomorrow. I just thought I'll check up all the rinks today and finish with the meeting tomorrow." Elsa smiled, and Anna noted that it didn't seem as bright as two days ago.

"How long will you be gone for?" Rapunzel stood next to Elsa, concern evident on her face.

"Two and a half days, probably. I'll be back by evening on the day after tomorrow." Elsa informed.

Anna nodded, hugging her sister as she patted her back. "Take care"

Elsa hugged her back and nodded before proceeding to bid everyone goodbye. She left with Kristoff who volunteered to drop her at the edge of the forest, which was about a two-hour drive away.

And just as she got on his motorbike, Rapunzel realised something. "Wait, aren't you gonna say bye to Jack before you leave?"

Elsa just gave her a smile, which looked faker than the one she showed before, as she looked over at Rapunzel. "Ask your husband where he is."

And they drove off.

Rapunzel and Anna glanced at each other in confusion before looking at Flynn. "What did she mean?"

Flynn focussed on his powers, staying silent for a few seconds before looking up at both of them.

"He's gone."


	15. Chapter 15

They blinked once.

They blinked once again.

"What?" Merida interrupted. "What do you mean, ' _gone_ '?"

"I meant exactly that!" Flynn burst out, seemingly panicking, "He's not anywhere around here! Not even a mile around the area!"

"What?" Rapunzel gasped, "But you would've known if he had left, right?"

Flynn clutched his forehead, using his powers and panicking simultaneously affecting his mind, "I wasn't using my powers last night. Told him that since he's working I couldn't sleep properly so he told me to switch off and rest and that he wouldn't leave until-"

He stopped, eyes blown wide as realisation struck.

Seeing his sudden reaction, Anna grasped his arm and shook him. "Until what?"

"...until he finished his work..." Flynn muttered.

"Finished his work?" Merida did a double take, "but he still has to..."

Flynn thought hard on all the tasks that Elsa had given him to do. "Clean all the broken glasses and lights, help around the rink with tasks to compensate for the money he owes us for the broken glass, plant trees to replace the ones he uprooted and most of all, fix the rink."

"And he's finished all of them..." Anna whispered.

They stood in silence for a few seconds, taking in the information they just realised.

"He could've at least told goodbye before leaving..." Rapunzel sniffed.

"Why the heck are you crying?!" Merida growled, looking pretty pissed.

Rapunzel looked up at them with tear-filled eyes. "He's stayed with us for over a month now and he ate with us all the time and- you know I love meeting new people and making friends!"

"You hit him on the head with your pan when you first saw him." Merida pointed out.

"He scared me!"

"So? You knock out all the people whom you meet just 'cause they look scary?"

"It was the middle of the night and I was sleepy!"

"Okay, calm down ladies." Flynn stepped in, grabbing Rapunzel and dragging her towards their house. "How about meeting for breakfast to continue this depressing conversation?"

"Sounds good." Merida stomped to her house.

Anna sighed, walking slowly towards her house, cursing Jack in her head while remembering Elsa's fake smile and the previous day's incidents.

_I guess the misunderstanding with Elsa gave him the push to finish all the work in one day... I wonder if it would've been different if they hadn't fallen apart..._

_Jack would've said a proper farewell to everyone and his friendship with Elsa would've lasted..._

_Or they would have even..._

Anna sighed again and shook her head, knowing that her unsaid assumption was nothing but the dream and hope of the fangirl inside her.

.....

_Did I make a mistake by running off without telling anyone...?_

Jack groaned for the hundredth time, hitting his head for continuously doubting his actions.

After planting the last tree, Jack had removed the covering over the rink and froze the rink perfectly and smoothly so he wouldn't have to use the resurfacer. Stretching in exhaustion, he had returned to his room but instead of sleeping, he had packed his bag and left, glancing back many times to check if Flynn and Elsa were tailing him. Once he was sure that he was pretty far from the rink, he had frozen a few branches of a tree and settled down amidst the cold, taking a nap before heading out to the road.

And currently, as he shot straight into the sky to figure out where the roads were, his mind kept guilt-tripping him for leaving without informing anyone. He kept remembering all the times he would sit in the supper hall and have fun with everyone after a long day of practice and work. He remembered all the stupid fights he'd have with Flynn and Kristoff over whether vanilla should be removed from the world forever. He remembered complimenting Rapunzel for her cooking skills and teasing Anna for her clumsiness with Merida.

But most of all, he remembered every single time he hung out with Elsa or just spent time with her. He remembered their normal and sarcastic conversations, how she'd blushed when he had seen her snowflake tattoo and all the times that he had literally swept her off her feet. Even at that moment, his heart skipped a beat remembering the times he almost kissed Elsa.

A lump rose in his throat when the memory of Elsa turning away in disappointment flashed in his mind. He forced himself to stop thinking about them and concentrated on finding the road.

The air got thinner and colder the higher he flew, even more than usual as the snow continued falling around him. He paused and blinked when a snowflake almost fell on his eye while another landed on his hand when he lifted his hand to rub his eyes. He watched as the snowflake melted away and he let his hand fall to his side. He sighed and rubbed his forehead before looking around for a road.

Jack noticed a thin road amidst the trees, recognising it to be the road he would take when riding to and from practice with Flynn. He expanded his search area and found a wider road much further ahead, which he guessed was probably the road Jamie had took.

_I really hope he's okay..._

Jack flew over to the road and flew in the direction Jamie had intended to take him. He flew for hours together and stopped only when he spotted a small shop from where the road widened. He quickly reached the shop and asked the shopkeeper to lend his phone. The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow but gave him the phone nonetheless.

He started dialing the police's number but then he paused, not sure if they would even believe him. Deciding that it would be safer to call someone he actually knew, he hovered his fingers over the numbers, pausing again.

Only then did he realize that he didn't know the phone number of any of his colleagues since he had their contacts saved in his old phone, which was left back in the bus. He cussed out loudly and tried to remember anyone's number.

_The only phone numbers I can remember are mine... Mum's old number... North's...? Nah, its all mixed up... and- waaaaiiiiitt -!_

Jack grinned in triumph, dialing his aunt's number, who was currently looking after Emma. He almost screamed in joy when someone answered the phone.

"Hello? Aunt May? Aunt May, it's me, Jack!" He screamed at the phone.

There was no answer and Jack waited nervously. A sudden scream echoed in the phone and Jack's heart dropped when he realised that the phone was answered by his cousin, his aunt's daughter.

"Cassie? Cassie baby, it's me, Jacky!" He tried to talk as childishly as possible.

But Cassie just screamed again and started wailing loudly. Jack groaned inwardly, scolding himself for not visiting his aunt regularly. Cassie was just two years old and he hadn't visited them for about a year. And even when he _did_ visit, he would just talk to Emma and his aunt and he'd leave promptly. No wonder the child didn't remember him. 

He tried talking on the phone again but Cassie seemed to be shaking the phone violently. Soon enough, the call ended and Jack sighed in frustration.

He called the same number again and thankfully, someone who was not Cassie answered the call.

"Hello? Is it Aunt May? It's me, Jack!" He informed, anxiously waiting for an answer.

No one replied and Jack introduced himself.

_"Jack...?"_

Recognising the voice, Jack's heart skipped a beat and he forgot how to breathe. "E-Emma?"

 _"Oh my God, it IS you!"_ Emma screamed in excitement and shock. The joy that filled Jack's heart on hearing her excited voice could never be described by words.

She started rambling in concern and Jack covered his mouth in an attempt to stop grinning. He heard her running around and almost laughed out loud when he heard her slip and fall.

"Are you okay?" He asked, grinning while he looked down at the ground.

 _"Y-yeah, I'm- I'm okay! Aunt May! Aunt Maaaay!"_

Jack looked up when the shopkeeper gave him an annoyed frown and tapped his watch, reminding him that he's using the phone for too long. Jack requested him for two more minutes but the shopkeeper shook his head stubbornly.

_"-the media's going crazy, by the way. Everyone's super worried- so are we! Just a sec-"_

"Hey, hey! Emma! Calm down! Calm down and listen to me, okay? I don't have much time so I'm trusting you to tell Aunt May about me! Tell her that I'll be waiting at the abandoned airport! Heard that? Tell Aunt May that I'm waiting for North near the abandoned airport! Okay? I love y-!"

The shopkeeper snatched the phone from him and gave him a nasty glare before turning away. Normally, Jack would've glared back along with a few cuss words but he was too happy about talking with Emma _-properly._

"Where is the airport?" He asked the shopkeeper.

"Keep going straight and turn left at the crossroads." The shopkeeper grumbled reluctantly.

After thanking him, Jack took off into the air and maintained his pace as he flew over the crossroads, following the shopkeeper's directions. All thoughts about the rink were forgotten as the joy of talking with Emma took its place.

It was way past dawn by the time he reached the airport. He looked around and saw a few old advertisement boards. After looking around a little more, Jack decided to take a nap on a platform by the side of the airport while waiting.

.....

_Jack was playing with Emma in his old house where he grew up. The house looked like it had been renovated and a few furniture had been changed but nothing else was different._

_They both laughed and spoke animatedly as he chased her around the room, just to get hit on the face with a pillow. Seeing the mischievous and devilish grin on his face, Emma screamed and ran upstairs with Jack following her, two pillows raised in his hands._

_They ran into a room and Jack's heart skipped a beat when he saw Elsa sitting elegantly by the study table, turning around when they entered. Squealing, Emma ran to her and hid behind her for protection. Elsa just laughed and turned to Jack who was holding the pillows over his head while walking towards them like a monster._

_Standing up, Elsa looked at Emma and secretly gestured towards the door before turning towards Jack with a sweet smile on her face. She sauntered towards him and leaned closer as she gently caressed his face, her fingers running lightly on his skin._

_Caught in her spell, Jack temporarily forgot about Emma as he let the pillows fall down. He wrapped his arms loosely around her hips and leaned closer, going for a kiss on the lips. Little did he notice his sister slowly sneaking around them and realised the secret plan Elsa and Emma had cooked up only when Emma ran out of the door, screaming loudly about victory, while Elsa kept him distracted._

_He pulled back a bit when Emma ran out while Elsa laughed. He stared at her, unamused, as Elsa stopped laughing and smirked at him. Rolling his eyes, Jack pinned her against the wall, smirking as he saw the surprise on her face._

_He glanced at her lips and decided to tease her a bit before actually kissing her. He ran his nose up her neck, arms wrapped around her waist and keeping her pressed against himself. He pressed feather-light kisses along the way, barely putting any pressure when kissing right below her ear. Elsa let out a small gasp, wrapping her arms around his neck, and Jack smirked when she pulled him back to face her. He noticed the light blush across her cheeks and kissed various parts of her face, each kiss making her redder than before._

_Deciding that he had teased her enough, Jack went for her deliciously soft-looking lips..._

...only to get a clump of snow shoved in his face.

Blinking awake, Jack sat up and touched his face, realising that snow had fallen on his face in real life and not only in his dream. He looked up and realised that it had fallen off from the edge of the roof of the airport.

 _Great. Freakin. Timing_.

It took him a few seconds to realise where he was or what he was doing but it took no time for him to realise what- or rather _who_ he had dreamt about.

 _Tell me I did NOT just dream about Elsa living with me as my girlfriend..._

He rubbed his burning face to cool it down a little. Once his face was calm enough -his blush wasn't completely gone but was gone enough for him to ignore it- he sat back and reran his dream in his head, realising that at no point did dream-Jack even _think_ about the Tachyons Cup. He was focussed on living happily with Elsa and Emma at his side.

 _Girlfriend..._

Jack groaned and slapped himself on his cheeks, wondering at what point did he start thinking of Elsa in _that_ way. His heart then reminded him that it was basically impossible. He would return to his Racer life and Elsa would continue living her life at the rink, believing that he never liked her. Soon, she would grow to hate him and she would forget him eventually. And just the thought of her forgetting him hurt his heart so much that Jack had to take a few deep breaths.

Deciding to clear his mind, he got up and flew over the airport, looking around for any trace of his colleagues from Guardians Inc.

_Strange... Its morning already yet there's no one from work coming in search of me. Usually, after a call clearly stating where I am, you'd expect people to come in search within at least two hours. Especially since I'm a Tachyons Cup finalist._

He lounged around the airport as his thoughts of the rink resurfaced. He kept thinking about what he would be doing if he was at the rink at the moment. He'd wake up an hour or so later, have breakfast with everyone, spend a little time with Flynn and Elsa, work all day, head to practice with Flynn or Kristoff, head back to the rink, either spend more time with Elsa or have dinner with everyone before going back to bed.

_It's been just a day since I left... Why do I want to see them so badly...?_

_I could go if I want to..._ Jack contemplated, looking back at the entrance of the airport. _I just have to retrace my steps and search for a clearing in the forest... So should I...?_

_No... I have no business with them anymore. If I go to see them and North and the others come here in search of me, they'd find nothing and it would be a lost cause._

Jack ran his hand through his hair, rubbing the nape of his neck as he remembered Elsa's smiling face as they sat atop the North Mountain. He groaned, eyes straying towards the entrance again.

_It wouldn't hurt to take just one peak... Right? I could just check on them once, see Elsa one last time and fly away like I never went to see them in the first place! I could probably even leave goodbye notes in their rooms!_

Seeing that as his best and last option, Jack flew towards the entrance, pausing as he floated by the gates.

_Its been barely a day since I left... Should I really do this...?_

He glanced back and forth between the airport, staying where he could be found and taken back to his racer life, and the wide sky which was waiting for him to fly to whom he yearned to see again. 

_I can come back here. I know the way..._

And after convincing himself once again, Jack gripped his staff tightly before willing the winds to carry him to the rink.

.....

_Ah, the crossroads are here..._

Jack took a turn and continued flying, faster than before as the thought of seeing everyone again fuelled him to fly faster. He flew over the road just in case he lost his sense of direction and felt accomplishment lifting his heart when he recognised a few spots, indicating that he was on the right path. And after flying for about half a day while keeping an eye out for any cars or helicopters coming in search of him, Jack reached a certain point on the road from where he flew high enough to see a major part of the forest. He wandered for a few minutes before spotting the clearing amidst the trees.

Knowing that he couldn't just drop into the rink and risk being seen, he hid among the leaves and slowly flew from tree to tree. He knew that the rink was just a few miles away so he needed to be extra careful. Just as he jumped into another tree, he heard a loud crash behind him. Curious, Jack flew towards the noise and blinked in surprise when he saw the ever-graceful Manny sitting on the ground as he rubbed his forehead.

_Did he- **fall** from somewhere? What is he even doing here...?_

Deciding to watch rather than confront, Jack hid behind a thick branch from where he could hear and see Manny clearly.

The man was cursing himself as he rubbed his forehead, eyes searching for something on the ground. He then walked towards a bush and pulled out his phone from it.

"Hello? You still there?" He asked, trying to see his screen clearly.

 _"Yeah, I am."_ Replied a female voice.

 _What kind of idiot even talks on Speaker mode when no one is around?_ Jack thought to himself.

"So as I was saying, you think you can keep her there?" Manny asked, stretching his limbs before dusting off dirt from his white clothes.

 _"Manny, I've told you this before, and I'm telling it again: you're going overboard."_ The female voice replied.

Recognising the voice, Jack almost gasped in confusion.

_What business does Toothiana have with this geezer?_

"Tooth, I really don't want Elsa staying here. You know it gets hard for me whenever I even look at her." Manny sighed.

Jack blinked, unsure if he heard that right.

_Say what now?_


	16. Chapter 16

"Tooth, I really don't want Elsa staying here. You know it gets hard for me whenever I even look at her." Manny sighed.

 _"So? You're just gonna run away, or in this case, chase_ _ **her**_ _away? Her entire family lives there, you know. It's your problem so deal with it."_ Tooth chided.

"What if I don't want to?" Manny raised an eyebrow.

 _"Well, sucks to be you."_ Tooth sassed. _"But honestly Manny, get your head out of your ass and accept the truth already. Try to deny as much as you want to but you love Elsa. You're just forcing yourself to hate her."_

"No, I'm not. She's the reason Adgarr and Iduna are dead!" Manny hissed.

_"NO!_ **_Pitch_ ** _is the reason they're dead! And I'm sick and tired of repeating this for years now! Don't you have any sense of shame? Or belief in the girl whom you raised for more than eight years when she had no one else to depend on in the celebrity life?"_

"The girl I raised is already dead."

_"And who killed her? I mean, even an idiot like yourself should be capable of understanding that Elsa wouldn't have changed if you had helped her, instead of believing the words of a business-minded scumbag who would've had no problem with killing her!"_

"...Tooth."

_"Yes, Manny?"_

"Can you or can you not make Elsa stay in the city?"

_"Absolutely can not."_

"Then I have nothing to talk to you."

_"Ma-"_

"Good day."

And he hung up.

Manny sighed, rubbing his brows in frustration before stuffing his phone into his pocket. He stared into the distance for some time, feeling conflicted as always before he decided that a cup of tea would help. But just as he walked towards the rink, he heard something land behind him, which had him on alert.

"Who's there?" He asked, his cane clenched tightly in his hand.

"So that's why you hate her..."

Jack Frost stepped out from behind a few trees, realisation clear on his face. And any hope that Manny had of no one hearing him flew right out of the window.

Manny glared at him coldly, trying to intimidate him into silence. "I thought you left, Mr Frost."

Jack ignored him and just walked forward, eyes staring through Manny's soul. "You think that- or more specifically Pitch Black told you that Elsa is the reason her parents are dead. And he is the one who killed them."

"Lies are not to be believed, Frost." Manny sneered.

"Even though you _know_ that Pitch murdered her parents, you still _want_ to believe that Elsa is the cause."

"Get lost boy," Manny growled.

"But _why?_ I do not see any reason for you to blame _her_. Pitch wanted her out of the game and seemingly killed her parents to make sure she doesn't win. But no matter how you look at it, Pitch is still the murderer, even if he killed them just to make her lose. So why do you still believe that she killed them? _Elsa_ , their own _daughter_."

"I have no reason to answer you, you punk." Manny glared, eyes wide with anger. "Now get out of my sight before I obliterate you."

"Sure. One more word of denial from you and this whole conversation gets sent to Elsa." Jack smirked.

"What?" Manny blinked.

Jack held up another phone, which Manny realised was his other phone.

"Found it in the bushes. As you might have already realised, I've recorded our conversation and I wouldn't mind sending it to your entire family. I'm sure they'd love to know the truth about your behaviour." Jack smirked, before his expression became serious. "Now start talking or your secret's out."

Manny looked like he wanted to strangle Jack when he opened his mouth to tell something when Jack held up his hand.

"It better be the truth. Living among the rich folk for just two years has made me quite the expert in figuring out liars." He stated.

Manny huffed in frustration before glancing around. Though the rink was empty, Manny didn't want anyone to overhear so he pulled Jack aside near the trees. Once he was sure that they were well hidden and no one was around, he finally admitted. "Ever since Elsa lost her race, I've been mad at her."

Jack tilted his head in confusion, "You're telling me," he started, eyes going wide in disbelief, "that all these years of hate and emotional torture you've been giving Elsa is because she lost a race?! Which, if you haven't noticed, she's already won three times before?!"

Manny's eyebrow twitched in annoyance but he sighed, trying to stay calm. "It was important that she won the race. If she had, she would've had more power in the society and she could've easily sued Pitch and his company for all that they've done and for killing Agnarr and Iduna! But no, instead of thinking it through like a rational person, she decided to lose focus at the end of the race and slipped off her ice and fell!"

Jack just stared at him until he raised an eyebrow and asked, "did you ever tell her about this?"

"About what?"

"All that you just spoke now. Did you ever speak to her and tell her that you could sue Pitch and bring justice to her parents if she won the race?"

Manny's silence gave him the answer he expected.

"So you didn't." Jack nodded.

"Elsa is a smart person who doesn't need me to tell her everything." Manny glared at him.

"If it had been a normal day, then probably yes. But you're talking about a girl who was overcome with grief and had no one to support her other than her family, who were also living far away. You think she would've been worried about suing Pitch while she's crying over her parents?"

And once again, Manny didn't answer.

Jack sighed, crossing his arms. "And what was that about Elsa being the reason for her parents death? And did Pitch really kill them? How do you know?"

Manny stayed quiet and just when Jack thought he wouldn't answer, he finally opened his mouth. "Elsa's dream of being a racer is what eventually led to their death. And yes, Pitch was the killer. Everyone thinks they just got caught in a storm but Pitch's actual plan was far more sinister. I've been investigating their deaths these past two years with many of my detective friends and I've collected enough evidence. But Pitch has people working even in the administration so we can't do anything other than wait for the opportunity."

Jack stayed silent for a few minutes, letting Manny pull himself together. "Manny," Jack called out, "do you love Elsa?"

Manny stayed quiet again.

"To be honest, I don't think you genuinely hate her. You're just trying to convince yourself of that. I mean, this is Elsa we're talking about! I've known her for just a month or so and even I've been fantasizing about living with her." Jack shrugged.

"Say **_what?_** " Manny yelled.

"See?" Jack pointed to his face. "You're mad! You can't be mad at me for fantasizing about her if you truly hated her."

Manny just stared at him in disbelief before sighing again. "Did you really fantasize about her?"

Jack blushed, looking away as he rocked on the balls of his feet. "Of course not."

"Are you sure?"

"I might have, once or twice..." Jack muttered, rubbing the nape of his neck.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Jack exclaimed, placing an overly innocent expression on his face. "Point is, as Tooth told, you can deny how much ever you want but you undoubtedly love Elsa. End of story. You guys both love each other. You just need to talk."

Manny just stayed silent and stared at the ground, and looked up only when he heard Jack clear his throat.

"Okay then," Jack held up the phone to Manny, who saw that the recording was deleted. "I've done you a favour by not sending it. But," Jack turned serious, eyes not leaving Manny's as he spoke, "I _will_ make sure to create an opportunity for _you_ to explain it. And if I can't do that, I will tell her myself. This is something that Elsa _needs_ to know."

"You won't be doing anything of the sort, Frost," Manny growled, now standing and towering over him.

"Oh yeah?" Jack smirked, challenging him with his eyes, "Try me."

They continued glaring at each other until they heard a car honk. 

"I guess that's your call to leave," Jack smirked again, crossing his arms. "Don't worry, I won't spill your beans to Elsa. Unless you do it soon."

"Frost-"

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have an apology to make."

And with that, Jack turned and shot into the sky.

.....

_Fuck secret mission, I need to confront her and apologize properly. And also speak about Manny if possible._

Only after Manny's departure did Jack notice that he hadn't seen anyone around the rink. Even the supper hall, which would usually have its lights switched on all the time, looked dark though it was just afternoon. He slowly and silently flew around the rink and peeped into Flynn's house from between the leaves. He scrunched his nose in confusion as he continued searching for at least a single person but saw no one.

Lastly, he came to Elsa's house. Deciding to risk it, he flew closer to her window, flying out of the forest. Her room was as organized as ever but there was no trace of Elsa.

_Maybe this was a bad idea after all..._

He sighed, trying not to feel too disappointed as he turned away and returned to the forest.

_Maybe I should return after the race... I'm sure she doesn't want to see my face right now..._

He flew past a few trees before pausing as he turned around and looked at Elsa's room again. He sighed again but just as he turned to fly away, something soared before his eyes and before he could realise what was going on, he was unable to move.

Eyes wide in shock and surprise, Jack looked to his side and saw an arrow pinning him to the tree by the collar of his leather jacket. It was dangerously close to his neck and Jack gulped, wondering what could have happened if he had moved just a little forward.

And just as he reached up to pull the arrow out, a second came whizzing from nowhere, pinning his other side of the collar to the tree as well. Affixed to the tree with two arrows almost touching his neck, Jack stopped moving and saw movement from the direction the arrows had come from. He waited for the shooter to show themselves and when they did, all he could do was blink.

"Why the heck did you shoot arrows at me?!" He yelled.

Merida merely raised an eyebrow, shooting two more arrows that pinned each of his long sleeves to the tree as Jack screamed. "Why did you come back?"

"Is this how you treat a friend?" Jack asked dryly.

"Friends don't run off without saying goodbye."

"Okay, fair point. But there are many other ways to confront me rather than pinning me to a tree by literally firing arrows at me."

"We weren't sure if you wanted to be 'confronted', seeing how you were sneaking around."

" _We_? Wait, how did you even find me?"

"That would be me." Another voice spoke from between the branches and Jack looked up and found Flynn casually lying on a thick branch. "Honestly, did you forget about my powers _so_ soon? Its literally been just a day and a half, man. I realised you were coming here the minute you got into my one-mile radius." 

_And that, ladies and gentlemen,_ Jack thought to himself miserably, _is why I would_ _ **never**_ _get into_ _Ravenclaw_ _._

That's when Jack remembered his conversation with Manny. "Wait," he looked back and forth between Merida and Flynn, "did you guys hear anything when I was speaking with Manny?"

To Jack's relief, Flynn shook his head while Merida merely raised an eyebrow, "No, but what was all that about?"

"I'll tell you later, preferably when Elsa also listens." Stated Jack, pulling out the arrows.

And before he knew it, Rapunzel and Anna came up from behind Merida and stood in front of Jack.

"So," Flynn jumped from the branch and landed in front of him, "care to explain your sudden disappearance and reappearance?"

Jack sighed and nodded, knowing there was no way out of this.

.....

"And... done." Elsa sighed in exhaustion, signing the last paper before closing the file and placing it with the rest. She stood up and stretched, walking towards the window to get some fresh air.

She had been working restlessly from the minute she entered the Head Office of the Berk Sports and Games Association, a group of owners of sports-grounds of different sports across the country. Each of the companies of the association specialized in their own type of sports, owning their respective grounds along with sports equipment and sports classes and trainers. Elsa belonged to the Haddock group, which was run by the President of the Association himself.

Elsa yawned before checking her schedule.

_Only the meeting is left, huh? After that, I have a little more to take care of and then I can head home..._

She didn't mind the workload. They were letting her work from home, after all. Besides, Elsa _liked_ working. It served as a great distraction from the partially-miserable life she led. And she needed that distraction _especially_ at that moment, what with having her heart broken when a certain someone announced their dislike towards her before promptly leaving.

_I can't believe I just admitted that I feel heartbroken..._

Elsa sighed, casting an annoyed look at her hair which slowly slipped out of the bun she had tied that morning. She huffed and blew a wisp of hair off her face as she headed towards the mirror.

Her hands absently worked on her braid while her mind flashed with moments spent with Jack, seemingly taking pleasure out of her suffering. Her heart raced -just a bit- every time she remembered his hot smirk or genuine smile, and she swore her heart was doing all kinds of flips every time the memories of him carrying her resurfaced.

But as they say, all good things have to come to an end.

She eventually remembered his final declaration when he clearly stated that he didn't like her. And if she ever thought of actually talking to him about it, Jack seemed to find a way out of that as well as he basically flew the coop.

Convincing herself that he was gone for good, Elsa decided to forget these weird feelings of hers as she reminded herself that he was a world-famous racer, ready to win the Tachyons cup, while she was just a worthless failure who had already given up on her dreams.

_Why and when did I start liking him...?_

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard someone knocking on the door. After checking herself in the mirror once, she quickly opened the door and smiled politely when she saw her co-worker Astrid Haddock-Hofferson outside her door.

"Meeting's starting. You ready?" The heir of the Hofferson group asked.

"As I'll ever be, " Elsa smiled, grabbing a few files as she followed Astrid out of the room.

.....

"Wait, so you're telling me you had a deal with Elsa that you could leave anytime as long as you finish the work?" Merida blinked.

"Yup." Jack nodded, munching on the sandwich that Rapunzel had prepared for him.

"When did this even happen?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.

"I think it was the second or third day after my arrival." Jack looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember the details. "You guys remember after Flynn introduced me to all of you and then Elsa was walking out with you guys but then I stopped her and said that I want to talk with her alone?"

Anna and Rapunzel took a minute to realise what he was talking about. And when they did remember that it was when they had promptly started shipping him with Elsa, they nodded their heads.

"Why did you cram all your work and finish it on the day you left?" Flynn asked.

Jack rubbed the nape of his neck nervously as he explained, "Honestly speaking, I didn't mean to finish it all on that day. My race is just two weeks away and with all the practice and chores that I've been doing around the rink, I was confident in my skills and endurance. And before I knew it, I stopped worrying about the race. I guess I didn't want to leave soon, especially after becoming friends with all of you 'cause- let's face it- I haven't had proper friends my age since I was eleven or so."

"Then why did you?" Anna asked softly.

Jack looked down at the floor and stayed quiet but all of them knew the answer already.

"It was Elsa, wasn't it?" Rapunzel asked, with a sad and guilty smile on her face.

Jack wasn't sure whether to answer but nodded his head nonetheless. Anna and Rapunzel shared a glance before they nodded to each other.

"Jack?" Anna called out.

Jack looked up and blinked when he saw the guilty expressions on the girls' faces.

"We're sorry." Anna and Rapunzel bowed her heads in guilt and shame.

"We really didn't mean to upset you or cause all of this between you and Elsa." Rapunzel continued tearfully.

Merida nodded, apologizing as well. "I didn't stop them." She reasoned.

Jack looked at all three of them before breathing out a nervous chuckle. "It's okay guys, I'm not mad at you. I'm at fault as well, you know? I overreacted and didn't explain myself to her either. So don't sweat it."

Anna and Rapunzel raised their heads and shared nervous glances. "Are you- are you sure?"

"Yup. Just don't tease me too much again." Jack grinned.

They both smiled in relief, thanking him for his kindness.

"We really did go overboard though." Anna pointed out, leaning back in her chair with a frown on her face, "We were basically forcing our hopes on you without taking your feelings into consideration."

At the mention of the word 'feelings', Jack couldn't help but look away as his cheeks turned pink. "Yeah..."

"I mean, " Anna continued, oblivious to Jack's reaction as she looked up in thought, "it's not like you like her _romantically_ , judging by how _sure_ you were when you screamed that you didn't like her."

"Yeah... About that..."

Anna looked at him- and blinked when she saw his face looking redder than a tomato. "Jack...?"

Jack seemed to struggle to find words as he looked everywhere except their eyes. "Um... I mean- I'm not sure how I feel about her... you guys might be right after all...I think... but I don't know..."

"Hold the heck up, " Merida held out a finger to stop him from talking as she stomped towards him before grabbing him by his torn collar.

"Are you telling me-"

She yanked him forward with a fierce glare on her face.

"-that yourealised that you _like_ Elsa-"

She poked his chest really hard.

"- _just_ now?!"

Jack winced and pushed her hand away before leaning back. "What do you mean, _just now?_!"

"Frost, anyone with two eyes could see that you're completely smitten for her." Merida rolled her eyes, walking back and flopping down on her chair.

"You're officially the last person to realise your crush on her, Frost," Flynn smirked.

"Wait a second, " Anna stood up, "you guys thought he had a crush on her too?"

"I honestly thought it was just Anna and me fantasizing about it. Didn't know you guys felt the same way." Rapunzel grinned.

Jack listened as each of them explained their reasons for thinking he had a crush while his own head couldn't comprehend why or when he fell for her. He couldn't help but turn red every time they gave a new reason, burying his face in his arms as he couldn't control the heat in his face.

"You know," Jack interrupted their heated discussion, "I don't know if I should be flattered or creeped out by your observations but- honestly speaking, I'm not too sure about my own feelings yet."

There was a confused silence as everyone waited for him to continue.

"It's like-" he started, ears turning red as he waved his arms around to exaggerate his point, "I know I like Elsa at least a bit and I definitely don't see her as just a friend. But this is literally the first time I've had a crush on anyone so..."

"Jack," Rapunzel leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, "you need to figure out what you wanna do with your feelings before Elsa returns."

"Yeah..." Jack looked down at his hands, thinking over many things at the same time. "Wait, what do you mean 'before she returns'? Where is she? And everyone else?"

"Elsa had some work to finish and a meeting to attend. She told us that she would be back by evening tomorrow." Anna explained.

"Everyone else had something to do so we're alone at the rink," Rapunzel shrugged.

Jack stood up and walked to the entrance of the supper hall, looking around at the snow-covered rink and houses. He remembered seeing string lights of different colours and shapes and suddenly, he was overcome with excitement as his brain cooked up an idea.

"Guys, I think I figured out the perfect scenario to make Elsa happy before I apologize." He grinned.


	17. Chapter 17

"Done at last!" Astrid stretched her hands above her head, finally relieved that the meeting was over.

"Are you really _that_ exhausted?" Elsa asked, seeing the dark circles below her eyes.

"Yup. Hiccup's been having a tight schedule, what with attending interviews and shooting advertisements while also finding time to practice with Toothless. From when I took up the role of being his manager after I was disqualified, I've been stuck dealing with the enormous number of requests for his appearance in TV shows and radio programmes _and_ I have to keep up with Hiccup's and my part of the work in the company. I had to take three all-nighters to finish all the work for this meeting." Astrid explained as they walked together towards the canteen.

Elsa wrapped an arm around her best friend's shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "I know its hard for you, Astrid. So how about this? I'll take care of your work in the company and you can concentrate on Hiccup? The President will definitely not force his own son to sit in the office while he has a race to compete in so you won't have any company work to deal with. Besides, its the practice stage for the competitors so Hiccup won't be having any interviews until the last three or four days. So rather than doing any work at all, you should focus on your own health."

"What? Don't be ridiculous Elsa. It's my job. I can't dump it all on you." Astrid rubbed her forehead.

"And I'm your friend. And friends do this for each other all the time. And even _you_ know that you need to focus on your health. I can always take your help later. Sound good?" Elsa smiled.

Astrid thought about it for a few minutes before sighing. "Yup." She looked up and smiled at her. "Thanks, Els."

"Good girl." Elsa smiled and led Astrid towards the table, pulled out a chair, and made her sit. "Now sit tight while I get our food."

Elsa walked away, returning with one normal looking tray of food and one especially filled with healthy salads and fruits. She placed the second tray in front of Astrid -who raised an eyebrow suspiciously when she saw the food selection in her own tray- and sat opposite to her.

"What's with all the greens on my plate?" Astrid asked before taking her first bite.

"You need them. Especially now." Elsa shrugged.

"What do you mean by that?" Astrid blinked.

"You do look terribly tired, you know," Elsa cast her a pointed glance, "And besides, I've been having other doubts about your health," she secretly glanced at Astrid's tummy, which did not go unnoticed by her.

"...How did you know..?" Astrid asked, shocked.

"So it _is_ true! I noticed how you've been behaving since I came here and I'm sorry for assuming on my own but I felt it was too rude to just ask you about it," Elsa smiled. "Congrats."

Astrid sighed, rubbing her forehead. "It's _that_ obvious, huh?"

"Nah, I'd say you're doing a good job so far. Does Hiccup know?" Elsa asked.

"...I took up his side of work so that he could focus on his race... If he knew I was pregnant, he'd stop me from working too much and might not focus on his race. This is something he's been dreaming of for _years_ and I don't want to be the cause of his downfall..."

Elsa reached across the table and held her hand, giving a small smile as she spoke. "I'm not gonna advise you on what you should and shouldn't do. They're your decisions and yours alone. Take your time and tell him when you feel is the right time. I support you in every way."

Astrid smiled back, gripping her hand tightly in her own. "Only the Gods know what I did in my previous life to receive you as a friend."

Elsa grinned, placing her other hand on her heart as she spoke dramatically, "Am I really that bad of a friend, Milady?"

Astrid laughed, reaching across and punching her lightly on her shoulder.

The two women conversed as they ate, catching up on each other's lives while also reminiscing their days at the Magic Academy. While Elsa had been in the Magical Abilities section, Astrid had been studying in the Magical Animals section where she trained her dragon, Stormfly. The two didn't hang out a lot, mainly because they were in different sections and because Elsa spent all of her free time studying in the library while Astrid spent her time with her other friends, including Hiccup. But they were roommates for a long time and they would sometimes grab a cup of coffee or eat lunch together as they explained their adventures and progress in the Academy.

Elsa treasured Astrid's friendship a lot, especially since it was because of her support during the first few races that Elsa was able to stay sane even after the immense amount of pressure. And Astrid had mutual feelings about her friendship with Elsa because she could confide her problems to Elsa, knowing she wouldn't judge or tease her, or tell about her problems to anyone else.

After a lengthy conversation, they finally decided to call it a day and head to bed. Astrid walked Elsa to her room and after sharing a hug, with Elsa requesting Astrid to pass on her best wishes to Hiccup for his race, Astrid returned to her own room.

Closing the door, Elsa sighed, wishing she could have had more time with Astrid before she shook her head and flopped down on her bed. She looked up when she heard her phone ring, notifying her about a message.

_'Anna_ _: Take good rest. We have a surprise for you XD'_

Breathing out one last sigh, Elsa rolled over and pulled the blankets over herself, drifting into a dreamless slumber.

.....

"Okay, let's check through the list one last time. Elsa's house?" 

Jack lifted his notepad with a pen in his other hand, looking at the others expectantly.

"Check." Rapunzel nodded.

"All of your houses?"

"Check."

"Lights?"

"Check."

"Rink and Snacks?"

"Check."

"The shops?"

"Check, I guess." She looked warily at Merida's shop decorated with swords.

"Bessie?"

"As clean as ever." Flynn interrupted, smudges of grease and dirt all over his face and hands.

"Go take a goddamn shower." Jack glared at him. "You're the only one who's not ready."

"Wait," Merida stepped forward and crossed her arms, wearing an emerald green dress, "you're telling me you're gonna surprise her while wearing _that_?" She gestured to his whole appearance.

"Excuse me?" Jack furrowed his eyebrows, slightly offended. "What's wrong with this?"

"You do realise that you're decked in black from neck to toe, right?" She raised an eyebrow.

"So?"

"What she's _trying_ to tell," Rapunzel stepped between them before they could start pulling each other's hair out, "is that you look the exact same when you crashed the rink, Jack. And I gotta admit, Elsa isn't the type to fall for the 'bad boy' types." She smiled hesitantly.

Jack took her words into consideration and looked at himself in the mirror. He hadn't even realised it when he had dressed up in the morning but as they had stated, he was indeed wearing all black. He pursed his lips in thought before he turned to Anna.

"What do you recommend?" He asked, knowing that Anna would know Elsa's interests better than anyone else.

Anna gave it some thought before shrugging. "Knowing Elsa, she'd want you to be yourself and choose what you want rather than what she or anyone else wants."

Jack looked at himself again and he remembered that he had mentioned to Elsa how he used to look before he became obsessed with the race, and she had advised him to change just the aspects that he didn't like.

"Um, Anna?" He called out, still looking at himself in the mirror, "Do you happen to have a blue hoodie?"

.....

Elsa smiled and waved when she saw Kristoff waiting for her near the forest. She thanked the cab driver before stepping out and getting on Kristoff's motorbike.

"Don't you look like you stepped out of the salon," Kristoff grinned, starting the motorbike.

"Yeah, there's this new type of make-up process called 'exhaustion with a tint of misery'. Didn't you know?" Elsa rolled her eyes. "What is this surprise that I heard about, by the way?" She asked, eyeing his outfit consisting of a burgundy sash tied around his waist, a dark blue long-sleeved undershirt, and thick dark trousers.

She noticed Kristoff tense up as he came up with an answer, "Just a dinner hosted by Anna and Rapunzel, showing their gratitude for your hard work."

Elsa raised an eyebrow, suspicion coursing through her brain but she decided not to prod anymore.

They drove in silence after that, with Elsa trying to figure out what they could be plotting while Kristoff pleaded the Gods to not let another question come from Elsa. It was way past sunset by the time they reached the rink and Elsa's eyebrows furrowed in confusion when Kristoff stopped the motorbike at a little distance from the rink. He requested that she walked to the rink from there on, saying that it was part of the surprise.

Elsa agreed and walked down the road, noticing just then that the path seemed clear and easy to walk on. Her eyes widened when, after walking a bit more closer to the rink, lights on both sides of the path were suddenly switched on. She wondered where the lights even came from as she slowly and cautiously continued walking.

Her breath got caught in her lungs the minute she stepped out of the forest and into the rink. Instead of being covered by snow completely, the trees around the rink were cleared of all snow except for a light dusting of snow and frost which made the trees shimmer. The houses looked clean and bright, a thin layer of snow coating the roofs of the houses. And just as she turned around in wonder, string lights lining the houses and the trees blinked to life and tiny snowflakes floated gently towards the ground, making Elsa wonder if she was in a beautiful snow globe.

"Good evening, Your Highness."

Elsa stopped, tensing up as she recognised the owner of the voice. She slowly turned around and saw Jack Frost standing behind her, holding a bouquet of the most beautiful roses that she had ever seen. Upon closer inspection, she realised that they were made of ice with a few snowflakes added for decoration.

"...Jack?" She called out in confusion and disbelief. Just as much as her heart was elated at seeing him, another major part of her heart reminded her that he didn't like her so she shouldn't get her hopes high.

Noticing the sadness in her eyes, Jack took a deep breath as he just gave her a smile and held out the bouquet. "For you." He added with a gentle voice.

Elsa felt heat creep up her face all the way to her ears and accepted the flowers, looking around as everyone else stepped out. They weren't dressed in their usual attire and Elsa realised that all of them were wearing medieval-style clothes, matching their tastes and style. Everyone smiled at her before starting to skate as the music started playing from somewhere.

Elsa turned back to Jack, her heart pounding in her ribcage as Jack held his hand out. "Can I have this dance?"

She stared at him, still having a hundred questions in her head but she nodded nonetheless as she decided that she'll voice her confusion while they dance. With that thought in her mind, Elsa placed her shivering hand in his, feeling too conflicted to even look him in the eye.

Though he noticed this, Jack just smiled and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. He made her a pair of ice skates that fit her feet perfectly before the skated to the centre of the rink.

Seeing the main couple finally enter the rink, Merida changed the music to a slow waltz as per their plan.

As they swayed to the music, Elsa noticed everyone pairing up as well.

On one hand, Kristoff and Anna were giggling as they danced clumsily and Rapunzel led Flynn round the rink, softly muttering instructions on what he should do. Whereas on the other hand, Mr and Mrs Corona skated elegantly, followed by Mrs Dunbroach who made sure her husband skated properly. The triplets seemed to think that dancing was boring as they stuffed their faces at the snacks table.

Finally turning her eyes to Jack, Elsa's heart skipped a beat when she saw Jack's complete attention on her, his hands soft and gentle on her hand and waist. She continued staring into his eyes, captivated, as he led the dance. Not realising their growing proximity, Elsa suddenly remembered all the questions she wanted to ask.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked softly.

"Go ahead," He replied with a soft and deep voice that had wondrous effects on her heart.

Elsa took a deep breath, looking down as she asked, "Why did you come back?"

He gave her waist a gentle and pleasant squeeze which made Elsa look up at his apologetic yet genuine expression. He leaned closer and she held her breath as he whispered, "To see you and apologize to you."

Elsa struggled to keep her breathing calm. Noticing this, Jack gently squeezed her hand and smiled encouragingly.

Time slowed down for Elsa as they gazed at each other, faces so close that she could feel his warm breath on her face. "A-Apologize?" She stammered.

Jack's downcast eyes were filled with guilt, his hair brushing against her forehead as whatever romantic mood they had slowly dimmed by his sadness.

"Yes." He confirmed. "I wanted to apologize that I never meant to hurt you when I said that I didn't like you. I..." He chuckled nervously, "I didn't even mean that, to be honest. The girls were teasing me that I'm in love with you and I got too flustered so I kept denying it... They continued teasing me and- I guess I got too frustrated and screamed that I didn't like you and that you weren't worthy of my affection... And to my amazing luck, you happened to be right behind me and I swear to God Elsa, if there's anyone who has my complete affection, it's definitely you! And I didn't mean to tell something as horrible as saying you're not worthy 'cause, obviously, you're way more worthy an-"

Jack stopped rambling and blinked in surprise as Elsa smiled, warm tingles spreading throughout her arm from her finger, which was pressed against his lips. "I understand." She whispered.

Jack just blinked a few more times in disbelief before he held her hand that was on his lips, pulling it back before intertwining their hands. "Do you mean it? Do you really forgive me?" He asked, looking at her through his eyelashes.

Elsa smiled and nodded again. "I forgive you." She whispered, gently squeezing his hand.

Jack smiled, bowing his head over their hands as he pulled her closer by her waist. "That's all I need." He pressed his lips on her hand, sending electric shock waves from the spot he kissed, all the way to her heart. He looked up and Elsa bit her lip to avoid grinning too much when she saw the cheeky smile he gave.


	18. Chapter 18

Pulling back, Jack twirled her a few times and dipped her dramatically when the song ended. Both of them laughed together as Jack pulled her up, lost in the moment as they stared at each other's smiling faces.

Jack might have looked cool and fun on the outside like he had everything under control, but the inside was almost the exact opposite. Feeling his legs shaking, Jack kissed her hand and excused himself. And only after he hid behind a tree, away from anyone's view, did his true emotions resurface.

"Oh. My. _God_!" He collapsed, one hand on his knees which had become too weak to keep him standing. His other hand was pressed against his heart that was beating louder than a rock band's drummer killing his drums connected to mic and speakers in full volume.

"Nice work, Mr Eros," Merida grinned, handing him a glass of cold water as she sat in the shadows with him.

"Mr Eros?" He questioned, accepting the water.

"Romeo's too cliche and he was a seventeen-year-old who seduced a thirteen-year-old. So yeah, I can see the undying romance there." Merida rolled her eyes. "I like the Eros and Psyche story better if I had to go by what Anna told me. Many people don't know about it but it's a great story, considering that most Greek stories usually end in tragedy."

Feeling his heart calm down by the distraction, Jack smirked as he thought of a response. "So you're telling me that I'm handsome enough to be a Greek God?"

"I'd just be inflating your already huge ego if I agreed to that." Merida sipped her soda. "You look like a grandpa to me but Elsa might think otherwise."

Just at the mention of her name, Jack turned unbelievably red, almost as red as Merida's hair.

Noticing his reaction, Merida couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You look redder than my old man's red underpants!"

"Yeah, I didn't need to know that," Jack muttered.

Merida gave him a long look before nudging him. "You really look like you're ready to burst. Wanna spill all your emotions regarding our dearest Snow Queen?"

Jack stubbornly looked away, huffing as he replied, "No thank you."

He turned back to her to tell something when she suddenly stuffed a burrito in his mouth. 

Jack just blinked in confusion. Merida signaled him to keep quiet as she pointed at Elsa, who was just a few feet away from them. They stayed silent for a few more seconds before Merida finally relaxed, slapping him across his head.

"Do you wanna get caught by Elsa while you're fangirling about her?" She glared at him.

Jack swallowed the last bite, taking a few more seconds to do so, before replying, "Sorry, thanks. You got any ice cream or breath mints?"

Seeing her raised eyebrow, he quickly added, "I don't wanna smell like a burrito when I'm dancing with her again."

Rolling her eyes, Merida sneaked out and came back with mint ice cream in one hand and chocolate ice cream in the other. Thinking that mint would be, in his words, 'sexier' than chocolate, he dumped the whole cup of mint ice cream in his mouth while Merida stared in shock. Checking his breath one last time, Jack stood up and returned to the rink and was not ready for the sight that greeted him.

He stood by the edge of the rink, frozen in shock when he saw Elsa skating towards him with her usual smile on her face. But it wasn't just the smile that had him transfixed. Her hair was in a loose French braid that was swept over her shoulder and she was wearing a crystal-blue off-the-shoulder dress with a knee-high slit and translucent blue sleeves. She also had a long transparent floor-sweeping cape decorated with large snowflakes attached to the back of her bodice. And the lighting making her look like the most gorgeous woman in the universe as she skated towards him didn't help either.

Once she reached him, Elsa waved her hand in front of his face but Jack just continued staring. He noticed that even her make-up was different, changed from the lavender eye shadow to a dark purple one. And just the sight of her red lipstick-coated smile sent a rush of desire through him to mess it up by getting it all over his own lips.

Mistaking his reaction for horror, Elsa fiddled with the end of her braid, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. "Does it look that bad?" She asked, head turned to the ground.

"What?" Jack blinked before he realized what she meant. " _Noooooooo_ no no no, no. _No. NO_! It doesn't look bad _at all!_ You look beautiful! Gorgeous! Spectacular, marvellous, stunning, _irresistible, absolutely and_ _ **mind-blowingly**_ _ **attracti-**_ "

Elsa leaned close and placed her finger on his mouth which effectively shut him up. "Thank you." She whispered.

"My pleasure," He squeaked, before repeating the same in a more normal voice.

Elsa leaned back, allowing him to release the breath that he had been holding for so long. He handed her a glass of water and as she drank, Jack took a few deep breaths to calm down and he brought forth his charming personality from before. He took one last deep breath before placing a cool smile on his face, clearing his throat as he decided to ask her to dance again.

As if sensing his thoughts, Merida changed the song to a fun and happy one, for which Jack shot her a grateful smile.

"May I have the pleasure of this dance as well?" He asked, grinning cheekily.

Elsa smiled and rolled her eyes before she placed her hand in his.

Unlike the previous song, this one was more upbeat and cheerful. Jack noticed that Elsa wasn't dancing along with everyone else and when questioned, she just replied that she didn't know how to dance to fast songs. He advised her to just be free and dance however she wanted. Elsa still seemed confused so Jack grabbed her hand and made her dance with him. She caught on soon enough and she laughed whenever Jack went full 'drama queen' by twirling her in the air before dipping her. The others joined them and they all skated across the rink, holding hands and just enjoying themselves.

.....

When the song was over, everyone decided to take a small break as they headed to the snacks table. But Anna and Rapunzel seemed to have different thoughts as they walked towards Merida who was searching for songs to play.

"Got anything slow and romantic to set the mood?" Rapunzel smirked, leaning forward.

"Didn't we already have one in the beginning?" Merida tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah, but all _they_ did-" Anna gestured towards Jack and Elsa, "-was _talk_. We can't leave it at that! Its time to get them smooching. I'm sure Jack would _love_ to do that _especially_ after seeing her wearing that deliciously red lipstick which was applied by yours truly."

Merida groaned. "But then the romantic air will just suffocate me as y'all start ogling at each other. And that's just gross."

"Aw, come on Merida!" Anna groaned, grabbing her arm as she looked away into the distance. "Just _imagine!_ After they kiss, Jack will definitely not be able to stand straight for at least three more days. You can approach him like before and when _he's_ fanboying, _we'll_ make sure Elsa listens to what he says. And when he realises that she was listening the whole time, he will be embarrassed for the rest of his life. We can even record everything going on! Don't you _want_ to see him suffer?" She added the last part seductively.

Merida thought about her words for a few seconds before sighing. "Just for the sake of humiliating him..." She muttered, tapping away on her laptop.

Meanwhile, Jack and Elsa laughed and talked with Merida and Rapunzel's parents, who were later joined by Flynn and Kristoff. And as they continued their heartfelt conversation, Merida caught their attention by announcing that she's playing the next song.

The minute Ed Sheeran's Perfect started playing, all the men turned to their respective wife/girlfriend and led them to the rink.

Jack shot a glance towards the music corner, where he saw Anna and Rapunzel showing him a thumbs up before they skated away with their loved ones. After sending one last prayer to the Gods to bless the three women, Jack turned and took Elsa's hand in his own, skating to a side of the rink where the slowly swayed to the music.

"Well, that was rude of you for not asking me first," Elsa pointed out with a raised eyebrow but Jack knew she wasn't offended by the smirk she showed.

"I already asked you twice," Jack pointed out with a small smirk on his face.

Elsa pulled her hand out of his and placed both of her hands near his neck as his hands dropped down to her waist. She leaned close, hovering her lips over his ear before whispering, " _How to be a good partner 101. Rule number one: Always ask their consent._ "

Jack stopped and nodded, genuinely apologizing before asking her for a dance. He was reminded again that she was in no way offended when she smiled and they continued dancing.

They stayed silent after that, focused only on each other and no one else. Elsa rested her head on his shoulder, close to his neck, while Jack softly sang the lyrics in her ear. They continued swaying, just basking in each other's warmth, and Elsa couldn't help but giggle when Jack continued singing. They both knew that the song was approaching its end but neither wanted to let go.

" _I have faith in what I see._ " Jack sang, " _Now I know I have met an angel in person and she looks perfect tonight._ "

He pulled back a bit and tightened his grasp around her waist as both of them just stood on the ice, staring at each other as he whispered the last part.

" _I don't deserve this..._ "

He leaned closer and brushed his forehead against hers, making sure that she knew he was looking only at her as the last words escaped his mouth.

" _...but you look perfect tonight._ "

As the final notes died away, Jack pulled her closer as he stared into her eyes, his own eyes seeking permission.

"May I?" He whispered.

And the smile she gave as she closed her eyes was the confirmation he needed before they leaned into each other and pressed their lips together in a gentle and loving kiss.

.....

As they stepped away from their husband/boyfriend, Rapunzel and Anna finally turned to see what Jack and Elsa were doing and their jaws dropped when they saw what was waiting for them.

"Oh my GO-"

"Ssshhh!" Merida hissed, slapping a hand each on their mouths.

"Well, isn't this beautiful," Kristoff glanced at Flynn who looked back at him.

"It's gross and awkward," Flynn grinned. "But I feel happy for the dude."

"Oh my," Mrs Dunbroch placed a hand on her heart in surprise and shared a glance with Mrs Corona before they dragged their husbands away to give the young couple some privacy.

"You know," Mrs Corona started, looking at her daughter and niece, "you really should stop staring before they start feeling uncomfortable."

"I'm pretty sure they've even forgotten our presence with how they're sucking face," Merida smirked. 

But Anna and Rapunzel weren't even listening to them as they stared at Jack and Elsa with eyes the size of pancakes.

.....

Wrapping an arm around her waist while the other pressed her head closer, Jack could feel his heart on the verge of jumping out his body as Elsa's lips moved against his. Her lips, which to anyone else would've been ice cold, felt especially warm which had him wanting to just melt in her embrace. Her arms snaked around his neck and Jack downright forgot how his body was supposed to function. He gasped for breath but didn't pull back.

And as stated by every wise person out there, all good things obviously have to come to an end.

Elsa pulled back a little and after letting her lips linger on his for a few more seconds, she leaned back and looked up at his eyes. Jack's remained closed as he placed his forehead against his. And once he filled some air in his lungs, Jack slowly opened his eyes, only to stare back at the most stunning pair of eyes he had ever seen. He took a deep breath, feeling the sweat on his forehead and on many places of his body even though it was snowing around them.

Elsa slowly unwrapped her hands from around his neck and placed them on his chest instead. They stood in silence for a few seconds like that until Elsa cracked a smiled.

"Your heart's beating too fast," She whispered.

"Yeah, I blame you for it." He whispered back, nuzzling in her face.

"What did I do?" She smiled, bumping her nose against his.

"You stole it." He grumbled, which just made her giggle.

"That was way too corny."

"I know." He smiled.

They heard someone clear their throat, which snapped them out of the romantic bubble. Jack glared at Flynn who was whistling innocently while Elsa turned red, realising that she had kissed Jack in front of everyone else.

"Do you mind?" Jack hissed at the brunette.

"Yup," Flynn smirked.

"Well then, you can go and f-"

"Merida!"

Everyone turned their attention to the roof of the supper hall where the triplets were standing.

"What?!" She yelled back.

From what they could see, all three of them had horror expressed on their faces as they pointed to the forest. "Customers!" They yelled simultaneously.

This time, it was Merida's turn to be horrified as she screamed, "What?!"

"Hundreds of them are headed this way!" One of them yelled.

"All of them seem to be coming in cars!" A second yelled.

"We can even see two or three helicopters approaching!" The third yelled.

As everyone continued to listen, their panic slowly turned into confusion.

"Hundreds of cars?" Rapunzel looked at the others for some kind of explanation.

"And helicopters?" Anna blinked in confusion.

"You sure you're not just seeing things?" Merida rolled her eyes.

But Flynn grabbed his head suddenly, falling to his knees as everyone rushed to help him. "No, they're telling the truth... Too many people are coming..."

"Eugene, stop using your powers, " Rapunzel grabbed his hands, concerned for her husband as she tried to make him look at her. She wiped the sweat on his face and whispered her healing song, knowing how too many presences suddenly appearing affected him on a concerning level.

Her hair was not wrapped around him anywhere and even though it was glowing, just her sweet singing voice was enough to calm him down.

And while everyone discussed the sudden incidents, Jack knew exactly what was going on.

_W_ _hy now...?!_

His hand latched onto Elsa's desperately, not wanting their moment to end. And even through his anxiousness, he could see that she was nervous as well.

Noticing his sudden grip, Elsa looked at Jack and grew concerned at the conflicted expression on his face.

"Jack? Is everything alright?" she asked.

Jack looked at her, and Elsa blinked in surprise when she saw the panic and desperation in his eyes.

"...Jack?"

"Listen- Elsa, I-"

He didn't get to complete his sentence as the first car came crashing through the woods, breaking the railings of the rink.

"Oh my God, it was true! We've found Jack Frost!" A woman, probably in her twenties, stepped out of the car followed by a man who was holding a camera. They rushed towards Jack who stumbled back, hiding Elsa behind him.

_I can't let them see her! People might recognize her and if the pictures are posted, maybe that Pitch guy will get to know of her location as well!_

Many more cars arrived and they didn't seem to notice the damage they were causing as people got out of their cars and ran towards Jack. Within no time, there were camera flashes everywhere and at least a dozen people were shoving mics in his face, swarming all around him and separating him from Elsa who was pushed back.

"Wai- Elsa!" Jack yelled, searching for his staff but not finding it anywhere.

The helicopters overhead shone a light on him, carrying their own cameras as they filmed the mess on the ground.

And just when Jack was ready to fly off, three identical cars entered the rink and his heart dropped when he recognised the people in the cars.

Bodyguards spilled out of two of the cars, fighting through the crowd of paparazzi and creating a path as two of them led Jack over to the third car.

"Frost, we've been so worried! You troublesome little jackass, wait until we get you back to the company!" Bunnymund stepped out of the car, followed by Sandy who also looked very relieved.

"Bunny! Sandy!" Jack hugged them both and though they were surprised, they gladly hugged him back. "How did you guys find me?"

_I didn't tell anything about the rink to Emma..._ He added in his mind.

"I'll explain everything to you later, now let's get going!" Bunny yelled over the noise, pushing Jack into the car.

" _Wait wait wait wait WAIT!_ " Jack yelled, slipping out of his grip as he looked over at Elsa who was standing near the entrance of the rink. "Just gimme a minute!"

"What?! A minute?! Jack you can't be serio-"

"Please, Bunny!" Jack pleaded.

Seeing the pain in his eyes, Bunny paused, and after a second of thinking, he nodded and looked him in the eye. "Just one minute." He turned away and made sure no one got to Jack as he instructed the bodyguards.

Thanking him, Jack ran over to Elsa and took her hands in his, pulling her behind the car so that no one saw them. "Elsa, I-"

Elsa shook her head, squeezing his hands tightly as he held onto hers for dear life. "Let me speak, okay?" She gave him a sad smile and Jack nodded, biting his lip as he held himself back from stopping her.

"Thank you, Jack," Elsa let out a deep sigh before looking back at him. "Thank you for everything you've done till now. For coming here, for helping everyone with their houses and lights and- and for helping _me_ out by being my friend and hanging out with me in this past month. You've literally made one of dreams -to make everyone here happy- come true. Thank you so much for that. And thank you for making tonight one of the best nights of my life!"

Jack closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her shoulder. His throat was tight and no words came out and all he could do was listen to her. "Elsa, I promise you, I will return as soon as possible! I-"

"Jack, we both know that you won't be able to go anywhere for at least three to five months if you win the race and it'll be hard to move around even after that, especially after you've been missing for so long now," Elsa tilted her head and rested it against his, "And I know that you _will_ win the race. So, its okay Jack. Don't worry about me here. Go and live your life. Visit your sister, spend time with her, and spoil her with the love you have for her. Find someone you love and live your life for them."

"Elsa-!"

Elsa silenced him by pressing her lips against his in a parting kiss. And just before he could kiss back, she pulled back, leaving him shocked and surprised.

Elsa took this as her chance to him one final squeeze before she stepped back and gave him a heartbreaking smile, a single tear rolling down her face. "Take care."

"No wait, Elsa, I-"

"Times up, buddy!"

Bunny grabbed him by his hood and dragged him back to the car. Jack fought to get back to Elsa but the paparazzi got past the bodyguards and blocked his path. Jack covered his face, not able to see anything because of the flashlights, which made it easier for Bunny to pull him back into the car.

"Wait-" Jack looked at the rest of the rink family one last time before he was pushed inside.

"Stop fighting so much, Jack!" Bunny yelled, shoving him in and closing the door. He got into the passenger seat as Sandy climbed into the driver's seat holding Jack's staff in his hands. "We're here to take you home, where you belong! And this place is not it!"

They pulled out and left the rink, the bodyguards following close behind. The paparazzi started leaving as well, tailing the car with Jack Frost in it.

Elsa looked around in dismay. Her family was standing in the corner like a bunch of puppies whose home had been invaded by wolves. The rink was completely shattered, hundreds of plants and trees along the pathway to the entrance of the rink were destroyed and Jack was gone.

Just as she turned to walk away to her room, she saw a man holding a camera walk towards a certain someone who was standing near the supper hall.

"Mr Moon, right? Thanks for the call." The man gave him one last smile before he drove off with his companions.

Heartbroken and betrayed, Elsa slowly walked towards Manny who was staring at the rink impassively.

"You called them?" Elsa asked, her voice cracking even as she tried her hardest to keep it calm.

"He's a racer, Elsa. He doesn't belong here." Manny replied.

Elsa stared at him in disbelief until she cracked a smile, speaking back after years of staying silent. "I was a racer too, you know. I mean, what am I talking about? Of course, you know. No wonder I never felt at home or that I belonged here whenever you were around."

And just like that, she left the speechless Manny behind as she walked inside her home and slammed the door shut. And only then did she allow the tears to flow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and feedback is always appreciated! :D


	19. Chapter 19

"Jack, for God's sake, stop sulking already!" Bunny hissed, trying to look at the racer through the rearview mirror.

But Jack remained unresponsive.

Bunny sighed and turned around to see him face to face. But the racer had curled up and was hugging his knees, lying down on the seat with his back facing both of them. He had his hood on and he had stayed that way from the minute they left the forest.

Sandy looked like he wanted to sign something but he couldn't since he was the one driving. He glanced at Jack as well, concerned for the racer.

Sandy thought back to when Toothiana had stepped into the room, suddenly yelling that she found Jack. That had caused a lot of confusion and chaos in the company but once everyone calmed down, she explained that she'd received a phone call from Mr Moon, and that she had Jack's location. After a whole month of searching, Bunny wasn't ready to believe her, thinking it could've been a prank-call but after she assured them that it wasn't and that the actual Manny Moon had told her about Jack's location, they geared up and left for the ice rink in the middle of the forest.

Somehow, the media and press had received the same information and it became a race to reach Jack first. 

Sandy knew he would be lying if he thought everything was now back to normal because obviously, it was not. Jack's behavior had surprised both of them from the minute they laid their eyes on him in the middle of the crowd.

Bunny had been raging about the paparazzi reaching him first but Sandy had noticed that Jack had actually been trying to cover someone up, putting himself between the person and the paparazzi. He wasn't basking in the attention as he usually did but was rather trying to get away from them. And if that was not weird enough, he had hugged Bunny and Sandy the minute he saw them, which left the two of them dumbstruck. But they didn't have time for that as they had to escort him back to the company as fast as possible.

And Jack had surprised Bunny and Sandy yet again when he literally pleaded for just a few minutes to talk to the person he had protected previously. And even while holding back the paparazzi, Sandy had managed to catch a glimpse of Jack hugging someone tightly. Someone, seeing whom Sandy was surprised and shocked.

_Elsa Winters, the legendary winner of the Race of Rapidity, had been hugging Jack._

And seeing how Jack was sulking now, Sandy knew he was far from pleased after he was forcefully dragged away from her. Which meant that they were probably close friends.

_Or something more..._

Drowned in his thoughts, Sandy absently turned the wheel to take a turn. He sighed to himself as Bunny continued to rant next to him but then he paused when he noticed something weird.

He placed a hand on Bunny's mouth and glanced around their car. Surprised, Bunny was about to yell at him but the seriousness on Sandy's face shut him up and he looked around in suspicion.

Sandy gestured towards the area in front of their car. Bunny couldn't understand what was going on until he realised that the road was empty before them.

_Where the heck did the bodyguards go?!_

He turned around in search of the second car of bodyguards behind them, only to see it missing as well.

_We're alone... Or probably not..._

He grabbed his boomerangs when he saw something move in the shadows. Sandy was ready as well, long and bright whips made of sand materialized in his hands.

They shared a glance with each other before stepping out of the car. And knowing who the main target might be, Sandy quickly covered the whole car in a thick layer of his golden sand.

Ignoring Jack's screams from inside the car, Sandy swung his whip through the darkness and lit up the entire place.

And that's when _they_ decided to step out.

.....

Calling Jack miserable would've been the biggest understatement of the century as he buried himself into the car seat while Bunny continued rambling. He sighed, knowing he was being a drama queen because no matter what, he _needed_ to be at the race which was just a week away.

But that didn't mean he had to be robbed of his precious time with Elsa.

Jack sighed, rubbing his forehead to get himself together. He couldn't disagree with the fact that his emotions were all over the place.

His heart was filled with immense love as his brain continued replaying the last few hours with her when he finally got to kiss her. Sorrow and heartbreak burst in when he was reminded of their last few minutes together before he left her. He tried so many times to tell her about his own feelings but was interrupted repeatedly.

Which meant she still didn't know how he felt. On top of that, she told him to find someone though he was already in love with her.

And that fact just ate him up from the inside.

And though he was relieved to see Bunny and Sandy, he was still very angry and pissed at them. It wasn't their fault that Jack didn't get a lot of time with Elsa and he _knew_ that. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to be the good guy and just forgive them for dragging him away when something so serious and important was going on.

Which reminded him, how _did_ they find him in the first place? As he had wondered before, he had told Emma only about the airport and he had left no clues at the airport about him being at the rink. And why were so many people there? How did the paparazzi get to know about it?

As a million thoughts raced through his head, Jack almost failed to notice that the car had come to a stop. He only snapped back to reality when light filled the car and he noticed Sandy's golden sand covering the whole car.

He screamed to be let out, demanding why he was being locked in. And he shut up only when he heard loud noises from outside. He strained his ears to listen closely and tried guessing what might be happening. That's when he heard the familiar neighs that had haunted his dreams for weeks now.

_Nightmares..._ He realised, eyes wide with shock and fear.

The noises and Jack's concern kept increasing by the minute. He cursed under his breath as he looked for a way out. He smashed the window with his staff while hoping the sand would fall off as well. When it didn't, Jack tried breaking through the thick layer using his staff but it was no use.

_Why did Sandy have to be so strong?!_

He kept breaking his head for a way out when Elsa's words rung in his ears.

_No power is useless, Jack..._

Looking around a few more times, Jack pressed his staff and concentrated his ice powers on the sand over the broken window. It took a minute or so but he grinned in satisfaction when the layer of sand in that spot froze completely. He pulled back his staff and struck at the ice, which broke and created a hole big enough for him to slip through.

Once Jack was out of the car, he looked around in shock when he saw Bunny and Sandy standing amidst mounds of blank sand. He just stared at them in disbelief and awe as they casually dusted off the sand from their clothes. And judging by the enormous amount of sand all around the area, there seemed to have been a LOT of Nightmares.

"You guys..." He trailed off, no words coming out any further.

"What?" Bunny smirked, pointedly blowing off the sand from his boomerangs, "You thought we couldn't handle a bunch of these losers?"

"But-"

Jack stopped as Sandy stepped forward, glaring at him as he pointed at the hole he had slipped through.

"What? You expected me to just sit there silently while both of you fought?"

Jack just raised an eyebrow when Sandy nodded. He started lecturing him with his sand magic and Bunny joined him, purely because he liked the idea of the usually calm and cheery Manager scolding Jack so furiously.

Jack rolled his eyes and was about to retort that they weren't his parents when a Nightmare suddenly pounced on them. Acting out of instinct, all three of them attacked and ended up blasting it apart.

Sandy's attack had turned a part of the Nightmare into golden sand and Bunny's boomerang had powdered it down. But Jack cautiously approached the ice on the ground, containing the black sand which seemed almost electric when he slid his staff over it.

_I could have defeated them with my ice powers back then..._

He stood there, staring at the ice until Bunny grabbed him and shoved him back in the car.

.....

_BANG_ _!_

Pausing the teacup near his lips, Manny straightened in his seat and turned around when he heard the door slam open. He was surprised; but knowing who might have the strength to break open a door with three locks, he turned back to the television and continued sipping his tea.

Footsteps came banging on the wooden floor and Manny blinked when the whole couch was turned around. And standing before him was a furious Anna, breathing hard as she balled her fist.

She pinned him by the shoulder to the couch with her other hand, her clenched hand pulled back and shaking in anger.

"Anna?" He called out, confused by her actions.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punch you right now...?!" She ground out, restraining herself from punching him.

Manny remained silent and looked past her when he heard more footsteps run into the house.

Rapunzel and Merida burst into the room, their faces going white when they saw what Anna was doing. They surged forward and tried to pull her back but she wouldn't budge.

"Did you or did you not call the Press and inform them about Jack?" Anna asked.

Understanding the reason for her rage, Manny's whole demeanor turned cold and calm. "I did."

"Why you-!"

"That's enough, Anna!"

She was lifted off the ground and the next minute, Anna was hanging off Kristoff's shoulders while Elsa stood behind him.

"Let me at him, Kristoff!" Anna growled, trying to wiggle out of his grasp.

Kristoff struggled but held her tight. He turned to Elsa for instructions, who just stared at the ground, conflicted.

Looking around at everyone's faces, Rapunzel let out a deep sigh. She cleared her throat and successfully got everyone's attention, before looking at Elsa and Manny.

"I think it's about time you both talked."

.....

" _How many times do I have to tell you?!_ " Jack yelled, refusing to open the door, " _Just leave me alone to train!_ "

North sighed, turning away from the door. He slowly walked back to the living room, where Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy were waiting for him. 

"So," Bunny started, examining his boomerang, "how'd it go?"

North refused to answer as he walked forward and took a seat next to Sandy.

"That bad, huh?" Tooth frowned.

"You guys," North rubbed his forehead, "please explain what the hell happened when he was away..." 

"I told you!" Bunny finally looked up, looking mildly offended and annoyed, "We found him in that rink and dragged him back home! He's been like that from when I dumped him in the car! And on top of that, he's been even more pissed from when I mentioned that Manny was the one who was kind enough to inform us of his location!" 

"But that doesn't explain why he's so..." Tooth paused, searching for the right word, "...aggressive...? I don't know, he's just- he's never acted this way! I'm sure _something_ must've happened!"

Bunny was about to retort back but then paused when Sandy nodded, standing up to face all of them. Sand slowly accumulated in the air over his head and everyone paid their complete attention to the images formed.

_Jack._

_Ice Rink._

_Heart._

_Girl._

"You're saying that he might be in love?" North double-checked.

Bunny snorted in response, crossing his arms as he leaned back on the couch. "Very funny, Sandy. Very funny." He looked at Sandy's determined face and his face blanched in realisation. "Wai- you're serious? _Frost_ is in _love?!_ No way, mate."

Before they could actually discuss about the topic, the doorbell rang. Glancing at the others and at the door, Bunny got up and opened the door.

"Who is it?" Tooth called out.

Bunny returned with a nervous expression, which just increased everyone's curiosity. And when the person stepped into their view, they quickly stood up.

"Mr Black?" North tried not to stutter at the sight of the world-famous owner of Nightmares Inc.

"Hello North," Pitch smiled, which sent shivers down their spines, "Is Jack here?"

"Um," North glanced at the others before replying, "I'm sorry -sir- but he doesn't want to see anyone. I-"

"Oh, that's okay." Pitch waved it off, glancing around the house. "Nice place you have here."

"Thank you, uh- sir," Tooth added hastily.

"Perhaps, the loud music coming from upstairs is thanks to Jack Frost?"

"Um, yes sir. We're sorry about that..." Tooth replied nervously.

"No problem. Maybe I could pay him a visit now..." Pitch smiled and before anyone could say anything, he gracefully floated up the stairs and knocked on Jack's door.

" _Go away, North!"_

Jack blinked in shock when his locked door opened on its own and Pitch stepped into his room.

"Hello, Mr Frost. It is a pleasure to meet one of the finalists of the Race of Rapidity." 

Jack just stared at him in shock and discreetly glanced at North who was standing by the door. North mouthed the name of the man in front of him and Jack's blood ran cold when he looked back at Pitch's golden eyes.

"Mr Pitch Black." Jack faced him, his initial dread washing away as anger took its place.

"In the flesh." Pitch smiled, taking a seat. He looked at North, who quickly straightened. "Could I have a few minutes with Jack, Mr North?"

"Oh, um," North glanced at both of them before reaching for the door handle, "Of course, Mr Black." And he shut the door.

Jack crossed his arms and glared at him in suspicion, not letting his guard down even after Pitch smiled politely at him. And if Pitch noticed this, he didn't show it as he casually crossed his legs.

"Your room is very unique, Mr Frost," Pitch pretended to look impressed at the messed up blankets and torn posters. "Very much like you, one could tell."

"Why are you here?" Jack asked, not wanting to be polite or pleasant to the man in front of him.

Pitch seemed surprised at his tone or was at least acting like he was surprised. "Right to the point, I see. Very professional. I like it."

"Yeah, not trying to impress though." Jack rolled his eyes. "Just get to the point."

Pitch placed his interlaced fingers on his knee and stared at him with a cold glimmer in his eyes. "I want you to lose the race, Frost."

Jack blinked, unable to believe his ears.

"What?"

"I said," Pitch emphasized, "I want you to lose the race. Or more precisely, I want you to somehow _accidentally_ lose the race."

_Feels like I've already heard THIS story somewhere._

"What the f- seriously?" Jack laughed in disbelief and scorn, "Who on earth do you think you are? I mean- do you even hear yourself? _You_ want me to lose? Who the hell gave you the right to decide if I should win or not?"

"Careful Jack," Pitch continued smiling his eerie creepy smile, "Not everyone's gonna appreciate you badmouthing the President of a world-class company like Nightmares Inc."

"Oh I'm sorry sir," Jack rolled his eyes, mockingly bowing in apology, "May I ascertain your reasons for requesting- no wait, _demanding_ my failure in the race?"

"Well," Pitch tilted his head in thought, "I'm not too fond of the villain-monologue so we can just skip out the explanation. All you need to know is I want _my_ racer to win and I _will_ get rid of anyone standing in his path."

Jack snorted in reply before continuing, "Tell your racer to get his head out of his ass and actually win the race. By the way, you do know you could get sued for this, right?"

"Of course. But this isn't the first time we've done this. We know our ways around the law, Mr Frost. Why, we've even removed a few... _pests_ from on our company before. So you need not worry about that."

Jack bristled and struggled to keep calm, knowing who this ' _pest'_ might've been.

"What use is there in me losing? It's not like I'm profiting from this." Jack shrugged.

Pitch placed a paper -or rather, a _contract_ \- on the table before him. "Just sign this and Nightmare Inc will provide you with thrice the prize amount of the competition. We might even take you under our own wing and train you in much better ways than a small company such as the Guardians. So, what do you say?"

Jack made a show of contemplating it before placing a smirk on his face. "Well, when you put it that way... It makes me want to win the race and kick your representative's ass literally and figuratively. So I guess we're done here."

Pitch seemed really surprised but snapped out of his shock as Jack proceeded to tear the contract paper. He stayed quiet for a few seconds before sighing.

"You know," he started, all the politeness from before vanished in thin air, "I really didn't wanna do this but its what you asked for."

He held up a finger and spun them slowly, a small tornado of sand twirling over his fingertips. And within no time, familiar horses stepped out of the dark corners of his room and Jack stepped back in horror as he stared at the golden eyes of the monster.

"You..." He trailed off, taking a step back in fear, "you're the one who..."

"Yup." Pitch smiled. "Feel like agreeing to our deal yet?"

Jack quickly got over his shock and glared intensely, his staff glowing in his hands as he growled, "You assho-!"

Pitch seemed unfazed by his anger as he stood up and walked towards Jack. "Still not relenting, I see. You sure are very stubborn, Jack." He stood behind Jack, leaning down close to his ear before whispering, "Very much like your sister."

Jack's heart dropped and he slashed his staff at the man behind him but Pitch ducked gracefully, sliding in front of him before pinning him to the wall with his sand.

"What do you know about my sister?!" Jack yelled, trying to freeze the sand to break out of its hold.

"Hm, very stubborn, determined, fiesty and brave. Yet, she still is young so she gets scared very easily as well. She does look very different compared to you though... Are you sure you both are actual siblings?" Pitch asked, seemingly enjoying the conversation.

Anger, confusion, fear and concern for his sister clouded his brain as Jack tried to come up with something to say. But in the end the only word that made its way through his lips were, "...how...?"

"Did you ever wonder why the press never arrived at the airport, Jack? Heck, did you even think about why you were lead to the abandoned airport after your match though you were supposed to go to California next?" Pitch asked.

"You attacked us on the way..." Jack hissed.

"I didn't just attack you, my dear. I'm sure by now you've already theorised that I'm the one who somehow managed to trick your driver into going to that specific airport. And voila, you are correct! It is unfortunate though that you survived in the forest and even returned before the race. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go to extreme lengths for someone as talented as you." Pitch spoke with a sugar-coated voice, as if he was talking to his beloved daughter about how much he loved her.

"Then what happened to my sister? Why do you even know about her?"

"Oh that? I've been keeping track of any phone calls received by all the places related to you, Jack. So when I found out you managed to inform your sister of your location, I didn't want her to inform any adults and did what had to be done." He ended in a creepily sweet way. When he saw Jack's eyes widen in rage, he realised how his words could lead to misunderstanding and quickly cleared the situation by revealing, "oh don't worry, she isn't dead! I assumed if you didn't agree to the contract I could use her as hostage to get what I want."

"Where. Is. She." Jack ground out, trying his hardest to break free from the sand.

"I wonder..." Pitch trailed off, taking his seat again. "Such a small and cute girl... Sad that she might be _seriously hurt_ if her brother doesn't agree to lose _right now."_

"You'd be the biggest fuckin dumbfuck if you think I will listen to you!" Jack growled, lunging towards him but the sand held him back.

Pitch just chuckled, pinching Jack's cheek and tapping it before replying, "Aw, look at you being so brotherly. You seem so different than how you present yourself before the cameras. And if you think you can save her then you're gravely mistaken, Frost. I have my Nightmares all around her and by the time you even figure out where she is, she'll become Nightmare food. They're all craving for something fresh after chasing down your driver from the other day."

Jack's blood ran cold as he realised he didn't know what happened to Jamie. "Don't tell me you..."

Pitch's evil smile was the answer Jack needed to confirm that he indeed had even Jamie under his custody.

"Why...?"

"Why?" Pitch tilted his head in confusion, "I'm assuming you mean why I kidnapped him. When I sent my Nightmares to attack and bring me the winner of the other Light Cup winner since my racer won the Light Cup in his races, this mere _driver_ stood in the way and made you run away. That must have made my children very confused and angry so they attacked him and brought him back. I didn't mind though. You were missing and gone for good and my Nightmares got a new plaything. So it was a win-win situation for me."

"Let them go..." Jack hissed, clenching his hands as he bowed his head, "I'll quit the race..."

Pitch hummed for a few seconds before lifting Jack's chin up. "No, Mr Frost. I don't want you to quit. I would've preferred if you had been extremely injured and couldn't take part in the race, which had been my initial plan. But now that you're back, I thought it would be more interesting if you lose disastrously at the race."

Jack tried hard to keep his cool as his next words slipped out, "Wouldn't me quitting make it easier for your racer to win?"

Pitch shook his head with a sad pout on his face. "That would just be suspicious and put me in the spotlight! Jack Frost returns after being missing for more than a month, is visited by Pitch Black and suddenly wants to quit after winning the first place at every race he's taken part in? That would be preposterous! I'd be questioned too much and Nightmares Inc would get a bad name! I don't want that to happen to my precious company now, do I? So, I'm asking you once again, Frost. Do we have a deal or not?"

Jack stayed silent, thinking hard about his current situation. His mind kept making up hopeless plans to rescue Emma but Jack knew it wouldn't be possible. He'd seen what Pitch Black was capable of doing even without using his powers. He knew that the only reason Pitch even bothered revealing that he'd been planning Jack's demise since the minute he won the Light Cup was so that he knew to what lengths this monster of a man would go to make sure Jack lost. And trying to rescue Emma when Pitch was on guard was basically a suicide mission.

"I'll take that as a yes." Pitch snapped his fingers and the Nightmares disappeared, the sand vaporising into thin air.

Jack dropped to the ground and rubbed his wrists, not bothering to look up as Pitch bid him goodbye and left the room. Just before closing the door, Pitch leaned back and muttered loud enough only for Jack to hear. "Don't bother telling others. It's not like any of you can do anything against me anyway. Farewell, Jack Frost." And he left.

A few seconds after his departure, the Guardians came rushing into Jack's room and found him on his knees, his head bowed low as angry tears flowed down his face.


	20. Chapter 20

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DECIDE THAT!"

Manny blinked in shock when Elsa glared at him, eyes filled with tears yet burning with the rage of a huge forest fire.

Elsa had finally poured out all of her feelings, her insecurities and her hopes to Manny who just kept giving snarky remarks. Each of his remarks just cut her up more and more but Anna, Rapunzel, Flynn, Kristoff, and Merida, who were also present, could hear his voice shaking a few times.

Elsa had initially tried to hold back but seeing Manny being so nonchalant about her feelings, she finally snapped, pouring out her emotions, telling him about every single time he hurt her while being inconsiderate of her feelings. And that was when Manny decided to tell something which threw off everyone. 

_'It's not like I genuinely hurt you anyway.'_

Which received an equally surprising reaction from Elsa who lost her cool and screamed in his face.

And seeing her standing in front of him with so much hatred and disbelief, Manny finally realised that he had hurt her more than he thought he actually had.

He stood and watched in utter shock and disbelief, jolting out of his stupor only when Elsa let out a deep breath. She wiped her face and glared at him with enough intensity to make him look away. Tears shimmered on her eyelashes and she blinked them away. She wiped her eyes one last time with her sleeve before muttering, "I've had enough..."

Anna took a small step forward to console her sister. "Elsa..."

"...I've had enough- of _you,_ " Elsa repeated, actually managing to unnerve Manny, "As much as I convinced myself that you didn't love me, I always hoped that one day- _one day_ , you'd come to your senses and see just how much you were hurting me. One day, you'd realise that you _love_ me. One day, you'd finally start treating me like _family_ , like your _goddaughter_. But I guess I was hoping for too much. I-" She paused, looking away as she snickered to herself, "I really was an idiot for even believing that you loved me at _any point_..."

Blinking in shock, Manny took a step forward as he yelled, "What do you _mean_ I don't love you?! _Of course I do-!_ "

All it took was one glare from Elsa and Manny was silenced.

_"Don't. Lie. To me."_ She hissed.

Withering under her gaze as he realised his own mistakes, Manny's gaze turned to the ground. He sighed and opened his mouth to tell something when the telephone started ringing.

Casting a glance at Elsa and him, Anna quickly walked over and held the phone against her ear.

"Hello...?"

.....

_"_ **Hel-lo Ladies and Gentlemen! Lo and Behold! The most exciting event of the year which we all have been waiting for is finally here! Esteemed guests and audience, I welcome you to this year's final round of the Race of Rapidity** _!"_

Toothiana continued pacing the floor as she listened to the announcer's booming voice. She kept glancing at the room labelled 'Dressing Room', where Jack had been trying on his outfit for the past ten minutes now. Bunny and Sandy were waiting on the couch nearby while North was outside, attending to a few last-minute arrangements for Jack's race.

The door opened and all three of them turned to look at him. Nothing much had changed in his clothes. He was still wearing the same hoodie and brown pants and was holding his staff in one hand. But she knew that below the clothes, Jack was wearing the special safety equipment made for him. And Tooth had to admit; Jack would've looked _way_ more handsome, if not for the frown on his face and the dead look in his eyes.

"You ready for this?" She asked softly, placing a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. But Jack merely shrugged before following Bunny out of the building.

Tooth shared a worried glance with Sandy before following them out. They were joined by North as they stood behind a huge set of doors, beyond which was the huge and lavishly decorated start line of the Race of Rapidity. The doors opened slowly and Tooth saw other competitors step into the ground to be met with ground-shaking cheers.

Just before Jack could step out, North placed his hand on his shoulder and leaned down to his ear. Curious, Tooth leaned in as well and so did Bunny and Sandy.

"I know what Pitch said the other day, Jack," North admitted, which shocked Jack so much that he looked like he'd just seen a ghost. "Do not worry. Help is here already. You will know once you step out there. Now go confidently and win the race, and leave Emma and Jamie in the hands of the Queen."

And before Jack could ask for an explanation, North shoved him out and closed the doors. He looked at the rest of his team and smiled.

"Now shall we go to the support stand to help our son?"

.....

_What the heck did that old man mean?_

Jack blinked, trying to figure out the meaning behind North's words and didn't even realise he was already out in the open. Cameras flashed everywhere and Jack forced a smile on his face as he walked to the podium where the Race's commentators were waiting for him.

"Finally, he's here! The guy who stole everyone's hearts and proceeded to go missing for an entire month! How're you feeling Jack? Everything alright?" Asked the female commentator.

"Just peachy." Jack tried to grin but ended up grimacing internally. 

"Sweet! Are you confident that you'll win this race? You _have_ been coming first in every one of your races so far." Asked the male commentator.

"Of course, I'm sure that I will be the one to take the Tachyons Cup home." Jack smiled again.

"Glad to hear that. Got any words for your fans before you head out for your race?"

"Um, please do cheer me on guys! Stay cool!"

"Everyone, give it up for Jack Frost!"

He waved at the crowd and walked off the stage, cringing internally as he reran his last words.

_Never doing that again._

He accepted the earpiece provided by one of the workers and plugged it in.

"Hello? Kangaroo can you hear me?"

_"Not a name suitable for the manager of a high-class racer, don't you think? By the way, your interview just now was_ _**horrible** _ _Mr Frost."_

Jack stopped in his tracks, hand reaching up to touch his earpiece in shock.

"Manny?!"

.....

"Is everything clear?" North peeped over Bunny's shoulder, who was furiously typing in his laptop.

"Yes sir," Bunny replied as he continued to type, "Jack's earpiece has connected to Manny's and everything is alright on Jack's side."

Sandy signalled that everyone on Manny's side was ready as well.

North nodded at them both, before turning to his PA. "Tooth?" He called out.

Tooth was working on her own laptop with immense intensity before she looked up. "The Snow Queen has reached her destination, sir."

North smiled, sending a small prayer to God before turning to the huge screen to which all the cameras following Jack were connected to.

"Perfect." He muttered.

.....

"Mr Moon, what the heck is happening? Isn't my earpiece supposed to be connected to Bunny's?" Jack asked, now standing at the start line of the race while the last racer to enter the ground, Hiccup Haddock, was being interviewed.

_"Jack, I don't want to confuse you_ **_especially_ ** _now that you're gonna start your race but understand this: Everyone from the rink is here to support you, and so am I. We're here on standby where every_ _placer's_ _support team is stationed. Do NOT worry about your sister and Jamie, I'm sure_ _**she's** _ _there already. So focus on your race, and your race alone._

_"I know you don't have a high opinion of me but for now, do not see me as Manny, the guy whose guts you hate, but rather as Manny Moon, the coach who trained the legendary racer, Elsa Winters. Think you can keep up with my instructions?"_

Jack smirked, finally understanding North's words as a boost of energy and confidence overfilled inside him. "Is that a challenge, old man?" He mocked him, loosening his shoulders as the host of the race raised the Start flag.

_"Of course, Mr Frost."_

"Great!" Jack grinned devilishly, his muscles tensing up to start. "I'm in!"

And the flag was brought down.

..... 


	21. Chapter 21

"For someone who spends billions ruining other's lives, Pitch sure can't seem to keep his garden clean!" Flynn groaned, pulling out another spiderweb from his hair. "I mean, Rapunzel would probably get a stroke at how poorly these trees have been treated."

"Seems like his creepiness and disgusting sense of style is still the same as ever." Elsa rolled her eyes, ducking behind another tree as a Nightmare flew overhead. "You can still sense them, right?"

"As clear as daylight," Flynn commented before he accidentally walked into another spiderweb. "My hair! My beautiful hair!"

"Honestly, Flynn, get over yourself!" Elsa hissed, eyes darting from side to side in search of any Nightmares around them.

" _Suuuuure_ _._ I'll definitely need a long shower after this, though. I-" He shut up when he saw her glare and pointed in the direction of a huge door surrounded by Nightmares. "They're there."

Elsa eyed the door and the Nightmares before sighing and shaking her head. "There are way too many Nightmares out there. Isn't there any other way?"

"What? The great Elsa Winters is scared of a few mud horses?" Flynn scoffed.

Elsa's eye twitched in annoyance before she sighed. "You know I can't take on so many, _Eugene_."

He silently placed a hand on her shoulder and replied, "Elsa, we both know that you totally _can_ take on each and every horse out there and destroy them completely. You _don't_ have to fear using your powers. Heck, these are Pitch's Nightmares so fighting them might help you to overcome your fear! Please, Elsa, there are innocent lives at stake here."

Elsa pondered over his words for a minute before giving him a small smile. "When did you become so well-versed in pep talk?"

Flynn shrugged and smirked, rolling his eyebrows, "What do I say? My wife is amazing at everything and it just rubbed off on me."

Elsa snickered and shook her head before huffing in determination. "Well, thanks Eugene. But if I turn up bloody and bruised, I'm setting Anna onto you." She winked before walking towards the door.

"Wait what?" Flynn looked absolutely horrified as he chased after her. "Wait, Elsa, I'm pretty sure we can work out somethi- Elsa _wait!_ "

.....

It was common knowledge among those interested in the Race of Rapidity that all the selection races up to the Light Cup always determined the strength, intelligence, and control over the powers of the players. But the Tachyons Cup was always different and unpredictable as the races were set up after the semi-finals with the racers' weaknesses and strengths kept in mind.

This time, the Tachyons Cup race track had six parts: the first one in a stadium where the audience would be present, four parts outside the stadium enclosed inside huge domes created by the Race Committee members of which each dome would consist of different obstacles, and one final unpredictable stage with obstacles and traps which change throughout the race leading back to the starting point. This last level of the race was an audience-favourite and had been used for the final race many times, including Elsa's final race.

_"_ _Oh my GOD, look at that speed! I'm not even able to follow them with my bare eyes!_ _"_ The female announcer swooned, watching the race unfold on the screen.

The whole audience seemed to agree with her as they cheered and roared, huge screens around the stadium showing each of the racers while one huge screen showed their placements and locations.

_"_ _Currently, we have Jack Frost in the lead, with Hiccup Haddock and Hans Westergaard close by, followed by the youngest competitor to take part in the race ever, Dash Parr!_ _"_ Announced the male speaker. " _And now, all of our racers have finally entered the Blizzard!"_

Jack continued speeding onwards, one ear focused on the reports from Manny while the other was focused on his surroundings. From what Manny was saying, the Blizzard was apparently Hans' weakness, who used his fire powers to control a fire-resistant hoverboard/surfboard or something, and such strong winds accompanied by the cold temperature was not good for his powers.

Since Hans was the one to come first in the previous year's race and the present year's selection races and also managed to beat Elsa in their race, Manny told Jack to be careful of him. But to Jack, this guy just seemed to be copying Elsa's techniques in controlling his powers, especially on that board of his. For example, instead of propelling himself around, Hans used his powers as if he was surfing and created boosters at the back of his board. In all honesty, Jack felt that Hans could've used his powers in a better way than try to copy Elsa.

_And_ _he_ _sucks_ _at_ _it_ _too_ _._ Jack thought bitterly, dodging another dangerously high peak which came into view only after he came into a five-meter radius around it. _Elsa's_ _powers_ _are_ _totally_ _different_ _from_ _this_ _cheapstake's_ _and_ _she_ _uses_ _them_ _like_ _a_ _badass_ _when_ _she_ _races_ _._ _Shame_ _that_ _she_ _doesn't_ _use_ _them_ _a_ _lot_ _more_ _._ _All_ _thanks_ _to_ _the_ _man_ _who's_ _helping_ _me_ _in_ _my_ _race_ _right_ _now and the fucker who has my sister and friend_ _._

Jack started feeling bitter again, and only got his mind back into the game when he saw Hiccup flying beside him. And only then did he realise that Manny had been screaming in his ear this whole time.

"- _the_ _hell_ _are_ _you_ _doing_ _Frost_ _?! Daydreaming_ _in_ _the_ _middle_ _of_ _a_ _race_ _?!_ _You_ _don't_ _have_ _the_ _liberty_ _to_ _go_ _at_ _your_ _own_ _pace_ _in_ _a_ _freakin_ _race_ _!_ _The_ _dragon's_ _almost_ _onto_ _you_ _!"_

"Okay, okay I get it! Geez," Jack rolled his eyes, shooting off into the distance, much farther than the other three racers. This level might be Hans' weakness but it was a power-up for him. They'd already gone through a maze with sea stacks which reached the sky -Hiccup's weakness, Jack assumed because it'd be difficult to continuously maneuver a dragon in a place where you'd slam into a sea stack at every turn- and were now stuck in Hans' weakness.

_"_ _Pay_ _attention,_ _Frost_ _._ _Gather_ _up_ _as_ _much_ _power_ _as_ _possible_ _from_ _the_ _cold_ _around_ _you_ _,_ _refresh_ _yourself_ _completely_ _'_ _cause_ _the_ _next_ _round_ _is_ _specifically_ _made_ _to_ _tire_ _out_ _all_ _of_ _you_ _._ _It's_ _Dash_ _Parr's_ _weakness_ _:_ _he_ _has_ _stamina_ _but_ _not_ _too_ _much_ _,_ _and_ _if_ _he_ _gets_ _too_ _tired_ _,_ _his_ _speed_ _reduces_ _tremendously_ _._ _But_ _its_ _gonna_ _be_ _hard_ _for_ _you_ _too_ _."_

"Wait, what? How?!" Jack raised, gathering as much energy as he could from the cold before he was teleported to the next location.

Suddenly, he found himself in something like a huge hamster wheel, with a monitor next to it showing the number '0'.

" _Quickly_ _,_ _control_ _the_ _wheel_ _and_ _spin_ _it five_ _hundred_ _times_ _!"_

Knowing not to waste time by asking questions, Jack quickly froze the entire wheel and focused hard on rotating it. He noticed that the more the wheel rotated, the more the numbers increased on the screen. At first, it didn't seem like much but after finishing the 200th spin, Jack could feel sweat dripping down the side of his face. The amount of concentration and power it was taking him to spin a simple wheel was -in Jack's opinion- embarrassing.

_Why_ _didn't_ _I_ _practice_ _my_ _ice_ _powers_ _more_ _?_ _God_ _,_ _I_ _should've_ _listened_ _to_ _Elsa_ _..._

Unconsciously, his mind drifted off to her again. But this time, Manny didn't hesitate to screech so loud that Jack sword his ears were bleeding.

_"_ _I've_ _told_ _this_ _a_ _million_ _times_ _and_ _I'm_ _telling_ _this_ _again_ _,_ _keep_ _your_ _head_ _**in. The. Game!** _ _Do_ _you_ _wanna_ _lose_ _that_ _badly_ _?!"_

"You know, you're doing a very bad job at monitoring me and getting me to concentrate, Manny." Jack commented dryly, letting out a sigh in relief when the number closed 500.

_"_ _I_ _really_ _can't_ _help_ _it_ _if_ _you_ _have_ _the_ _attention_ _span_ _of_ _a_ _three-year-old_ _Frost_ _._ _Are_ _you_ _always_ _this_ _spacey_ _?"_

"Nope." Jack huffed, sending one last surge of wind which pushed the wheel to the 500th turn. He looked around and saw a door opening, and wasted no time in flying out. "Its only like this when I'm thinking about Elsa."

As expected, there were no words from Manny, and Jack didn't bother initiating the conversation as he was teleported again.

"What's the current order?" He asked, looking around the level that was supposed to be his weakness.

_"_ _You're_ _leading_ _,_ _but_ _you_ _might_ _end_ _up_ _last_ _if_ _you_ _keep_ _spacing_ _out_ _._ _Be_ _careful_ _,_ _this_ _place_ _is_ _full_ _of_ _active_ _volcanoes_ _._ _It_ _will_ _weaken_ _you_ _and_ _will_ _probably_ _strengthen_ _Hans_ _,_ _which_ _you_ _can't_ _let_ _happen_ _."_ Manny answered, back to his professional voice.

"Oh, I really can't let that happen. I can't lose, not to _that_ guy. After all, I have a score to settle with him." Jack smirked, diving headfirst into the volcano filled area.

" _I didn't know you knew him personally,_ " Manny stated, surprised.

"Never met him. Didn't care about him. At least not until Elsa told me how that asshole is the reason she lost. Can't leave this race without decking him a good one, you know..." Jack muttered, cursing as he almost flew right into an eruption.

Manny stayed absolutely silent before muttering words which made Jack proud:

_"...give_ _him_ _a_ _good kick_ _in_ _the_ _stomach_ _from_ _my_ _side_ _."_

Jack grinned, "Sure."

.....

"Are these the last ones or are there more?" Elsa asked, freezing all the remaining Nightmares.

"There are a few more inside. Shall we do the rescuing now?" Asked Flynn who had been standing by a wall, watching Elsa fight.

"Yeah, lead the way, fast." She opened the huge double doors and they took off into the dark mansion.

They ran side by side, turning directions many times in the dark and tall building. At one point, they reached the middle of the building where it was an open area and the floors above were circle-shaped leaving the middle area completely open. There was just a glass dome at the very top which covered the space.

Flynn guided Elsa as they stood on her ice which kept growing taller. They encountered many Nightmares on the way which Elsa battled pretty easily. And after rising through at least twenty floors, Flynn finally stopped her and pointed at a door on the wall which didn't have any floor or staircase in front of it.

Elsa extended her ice towards the door and they slid towards it. Flynn kicked the door open and Elsa easily froze the remaining Nightmares inside before going through two more doors. They finally found a knocked out Emma with dried blood all over her body and clothes and even splattered on the floor and walls.

_That monster..._

Elsa tried to keep her anger under control and focused on waking Emma up. She took the First Aid Kit from Flynn and wrapped the small girl's biggest injury on her head slowly and carefully just as the brunette stirred.

"Jack..." Emma whispered, her voice cracked and ragged, hearing which Elsa's heart broke a little further.

"When I see Pitch, I'm gonna kick him in the nuts at least 50 times for doing this to such a small girl..." Flynn muttered, kneeling down next to Elsa before taking Emma's cold hand and rubbing it to provide warmth.

"...J-ack...!" Emma muttered again, stirring more, a desperate expression on her face.

"It's alright honey," Elsa whispered, gently stroking Emma's hair, "Jack is fine and he's doing his best to finish his race so he can see you. Now I want you to do your best to keep breathing, okay? I'll get you to Jack, I promise you, Emma."

Emma stirred again and yelped before her hand went to her waist in pain.

Elsa and Flynn glanced at each other in worry before Elsa held her with one arm and lifted the girl's skirt up, while Flynn helped her to hold Emma without causing any pain to the small girl.

Elsa's eyes widened when she saw Emma's camisole and leggings having blood stains and cuts in various places. She slowly lifted the camisole and her heart burned in fury and pain when she saw cuts and whip scars on the thin body.

She quickly wrapped her up in bandages with Flynn's help, trying to blink away the tears that had emerged after seeing the wounds. She then held the girl in her arms as they both stood up and after handing her to Flynn, she blasted open the windows and created a huge ice pillar on which she stood before turning around.

Flynn didn't follow her as he focused on feeding water to Emma who had slowly woken up while coughing. Elsa quickly rushed to their side and took the bottle from Flynn before feeding it to her.

Emma gladly took huge gulps of water, and then coughed out the rest as she hissed and held her navel. A few tears poked out of her eyes before she finally opened her eyes and saw her rescuers.

"Who are you?!" Emma screamed in panic, struggling to get out of Flynn's arms. She kneed Flynn in his jaw and tried to jump out of his grasp but was stopped by Elsa who held her by her shoulders, gently but firmly.

"Emma, calm down! We're here to save you! We're Jack's friends!" Elsa informed, trying not to put too much strength into holding Emma who thankfully paused.

"You're friends of Jack?" She asked, looking nervously between Flynn and Elsa.

"Yup." Elsa smiled.

"How do I believe you? The man who kidnapped me said the same thing!" Emma grabbed Elsa's hands and tried to push her off.

Elsa removed one hand from Emma's shoulder before holding it up as a small ice figure of Jack's curved staff took form.

Emma's eyes widened as she took the small stick into her hands, "That's Jack's staff before it changed... Are you his old friend?"

Elsa gave a bigger smile and shook her head, "Nope. But I do know how to annoy him." She gave a wink, which finally made the small girl smile. "We know what happened Emma, and we're here to save you. Jack is fighting hard right now to ensure you have a bright future and who better to cheer him on than his own sister? Do you trust us?" She held out her hand, leaning close to Emma.

Emma slowly and hesitantly took her hand before giving her a small smile again. "Thank you for coming to save me."

"It's our pleasure, honey." Elsa smiled, before turning to the window.

"By the way, I'm Flynn Rider but you can call me Eugene or whatever you want, little lady. And that cool woman is Elsa." Flynn finally spoke, letting Emma sit comfortably in his arms as he moved his jaws in different ways.

"I'm sorry for kicking you. And Elsa? As in Elsa Winters, the legendary racer?" Emma asked, looking back at Elsa with huge eyes.

"Yup, that's her. But let's not bring that up when she's hearing us, okay?" Flynn grinned.

Emma tilted her head in confusion but nodded anyway.

Flynn then proceeded to inquire if she was hurting anywhere else before Elsa gestured him to step on the ice. They reached the ground as Emma listed where it hurt and when she ate and drank last.

Putting away their anger at Pitch, Flynn and Elsa worked on her injuries. As Flynn wrapped a bandage around her waist, Elsa pulled out some food for the girl to eat.

"Emma, honey, when were you brought here?" Elsa asked, handing her a sandwich.

Emma munched for a few seconds before replying, "The other day, Aunt got a call and since she was upstairs, I answered. And it had been Jack. He told me to tell Aunt May that he's waiting at the abandoned airport. But right after the call ended, I was about to head upstairs when the doorbell rang. When I opened the door, a man with black hair and golden eyes told me that he was Jack's friend and asked me if I'm Emma. When I said yes, he suddenly grabbed my head. The next thing I knew, I blacked out and woke up in that room you found me in. The same man- he-" Emma paused, shivering as she held Elsa's hand tightly.

"Emma, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to. Please don't force yourself," Elsa consoled her, holding back tears at the plight of such a young girl.

Emma bit her lip and nodded. Elsa and Flynn shared a glance before the latter pulled the small girl on her lap as he fed her a sandwich while Elsa took out her phone and dialed Tooth's number.

" _Hello? Elsa is everything okay?_ " Tooth asked, screaming a little to drown out the noise behind her.

"Yes Tooth, everything's fine. We have Emma and we'll quickly be leaving to the stadium once she's done eating." Elsa informed, walking a little distance away from Flynn and Emma.

" _Oh thank God! Wait, what about Jamie?_ " Asked Tooth, suddenly concerned more.

"Wait, he's here too?" Elsa blinked in confusion.

Just then, she heard Flynn yell out her name and a loud scream that sounded an awful lot like Emma. She ran towards them and saw a Nightmare biting Flynn's forearm while another pulled Emma by her shirt from the other side.

Anger bubbled in Elsa as she summoned her powers and impaled both the Nightmares with many huge icicles. They still continued to struggle so Elsa, who was pissed off at that point, impaled them so much that they burst into black sand. Not wanting to risk it, she quickly froze the sand and spread it wide and thin.

She quickly went to Flynn and treated his wounds before checking on Emma, who was starting to shake. Elsa took her into her arms and hugged her close, gently rubbing her back as she whispered reassurances into her ears. This went on for a few minutes until Emma pulled back and thanked her.

"I need to go back inside," Elsa handed Emma to Flynn before standing up, "there's another person who's locked in there, and we can't take Emma back inside again. You stay here with her. I'll be back with the person and then we leave at once."

"But Elsa," Flynn stopped her, "how did those Nightmares appear? You froze each one of them and I know there weren't any other left! So how...?"

"It's probably because I just froze them inside ice blocks and didn't completely destroy them. They're all probably breaking out of the ice as we speak." She pursed her lip in thought. "Flynn, quickly search for any other presence inside the building. Quick!"

Flynn used his powers and after a few seconds, his eyes went wide. "Elsa, there are few more in there! Three more to be exact! All of them are underground! Just go through the double doors and break the floor! You'll find them!"

"Why didn't you sense them before, you ass?!" Elsa hissed, holding her hands up which started to glow.

"I was searching specifically for Emma so I couldn't sense any other human presence inside." Flynn shot back.

"Whatever. I'll go in and save them, and I'll attract every Nightmare towards me. But just in case..." She stepped back and enclosed them in an ice dome, which had just two openings the size of her hand so that they don't suffocate inside.

"You do have your pan, right?" She asked Flynn before she could leave.

He grinned and brought out his trusted frying pan from behind his back before twirling it in his hand.

Elsa shook her head lightly with a smile on her face, already used to Flynn's antics. She conjured up a snow horse, which neighed loudly as it came to life. She quickly got on it's back before turning back to Flynn and Emma.

"Call up Tooth and tell her that we're rescuing the others as well. Knowing Pitch, he probably kidnapped someone related to the other racers. We don't want him to get his way now, do we?" Elsa smirked.

Flynn gave her a thumbs up and pulled out his phone. Emma got out of his grasp and stood at the opening, looking at Elsa with concern.

"Will you come back safely?" She asked, voice shaking in fear.

Elsa gave her a smile as she got down from the horse and held Emma's hand through the opening. "I'll be back as soon as possible, Emma. Just stay with Flynn and relax okay? You're safe now, and I won't let anything happen to you. Take this," Elsa gave her a small snowflake keychain in which the middle circle was standing out like a button, "if you both are in trouble and the dome breaks, press the button in the middle and I'll come at once, okay?"

Emma held the keychain and Elsa's hand for a few more seconds before nodding. "Please be safe," she said as she let go of her hand.

"I will," Elsa gave her one last smile before closing the hole with ice again.

Elsa gave Flynn a nod before she mounted her horse. She burst through the double doors and came face to face with a huge ocean of Nightmares.

"Well, this isn't gonna be as easy as last time," she muttered.

.....

_Bonus:_

_"So, how come you recognized Elsa so quickly but your dumbass of a brother had to see her awards and newspaper article to even know about her?" Flynn asked, trying to distract Emma from any pain she might be experiencing._

_"Jack used to watch the television a lot when we were younger but as mom grew old, he had to work for our income as well so he didn't get to consume a lot of media, which was around the time Elsa started appearing in the public. And then he completely focused on earning money which was when Elsa became really popular. I was just sitting at home most of the time so I became a huge fan of Elsa, I guess..." Emma trailed off, staring at the entrance of the building where Elsa had disappeared into._

_"Hey, don't worry too much. Elsa is a lot more powerful than we know." Flynn smiled reassuringly before an evil grin slid onto his face, "How about I tell you how we ended up befriending Jack and all the stupid things he used to do when Elsa was around."_

_"Oohhh, yes please!"_

_**A/N : Please do express your thoughts and comments! Even a single nice comment is very inspiring and gets me writing faster and its always fun to read everyone's opinions of my fanfic :))** _


	22. Chapter 22

"This is hard!" Jack growled, hissing as he barely missed another volcanic eruption.

" _No shit, Sherlock. This whole part of the race is meant to be your weakness after all._ " Manny retorted.

"You know," Jack grumbled, cooling his burnt finger as he continued flying, "you seemed a lot more passive and polite back at the rink. What happened?"

Manny hesitated to answer, which just raised Jack's curiosity. " _That's not something we can talk about while you're racing..._ "

"Is it Elsa?"

Manny stayed quiet.

"So it is," Jack dodged another fireball which fell from the sky, "let's talk about it after I win this, okay?"

" _What are you? My therapist?_ " Manny deadpanned.

"I'm not, but God you really do need one," Jack smirked as Manny started scolding him again, before shifting his attention to the race. "Who's leading?"

" _Hans, obviously. Unlike you, he's actually focussing and strengthening himself._ " Manny scoffed.

"Don't praise that asshole. He's probably still believing that I'm gonna lose at the last minute. Poor fellow," Jack shook his head at Hans' stupidity.

" _Do not underestimate your enemy, Jack,_ " Manny advised.

"Not at all, old man. If there's one guy whom I've been looking out for since the beginning of the race, it's him." Jack informed, glaring ahead where he could faintly see Hans flying.

" _Good. Now burst up your speed and get out of there fast._ " Manny ordered.

"As you wish," and with a smirk, Jack picked up his speed, creating a barrier made of wind and ice around himself.

After flying for some time, he finally came side by side with his main rival. Hans looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before approaching Jack.

"Don't back out right now, I want you to stay in the race till the final lap. You can drop out as we reach the final part of the last race." Said Hans, eyes focused ahead.

_...wow_

_This_ _asshole_ _..._

Jack could only stare at him in shock and amusement as he opened his mouth to reply that he can go fuck himself when Manny spoke up.

_"_ _Don't_ _mention_ _anything_ _about_ _the_ _rescue_ _to_ _him_ _._ _Pretend_ _like_ _you're_ _actually_ _gonna_ _lose_ _._ _We_ _haven't_ _gotten_ _any_ _update_ _from_ _Elsa_ _yet_ _so_ _we_ _can't_ _risk_ _Pitch_ _getting_ _alarmed_ _."_

Jack rolled his eyes, controlling the urge to tell something cocky before he smirked and saluted to Hans. "As you wish, boss."

And with that, he flew off, far ahead than any of the other racers, and finished that stage of the track before entering the last stage. This part of the track was the unpredictable part because it could contain any traps or obstacles which would keep changing throughout the race; so even a single wrong move might end up sending him to the hospital.

With a bitter expression on his face, Jack reminded himself that it was at this stage when Hans pulled that cheap trick against Elsa when the whole part of the track had turned into a dark tunnel during the last lap.

_That_ _cheapstake_ _probably_ _knew_ _the_ _track_ _was_ _gonna_ _become_ _like_ _that_ _be_ _cause_ _of_ _course,_ _Pitch_ _would_ _have_ _someone_ _in_ _the_ _Race_ _committee_ _to_ _spill_ _all_ _the_ _secrets_ _to_ _him_ _._

That's when a loud explosion echoed throughout the place and Jack turned his head around and saw Hans and Hiccup flying neck to neck. Hiccup's dragon looked pissed off so Jack assumed that Hans had probably tried to get rid of them in that one millisecond when they entered one stage from another.

_Well_ _,_ _time_ _to_ _get_ _going_ _._

With another huge burst of wind that probably disturbed the two racers behind him, Jack flew off and started the next lap.

.....

_Well, that was tough..._

Elsa wiped the blood dripping down her jaw with the back of her hand as she finally allowed herself to relax. She had been impaling and bursting apart Nightmares for at least 45 minutes from what her watch showed and after not using her powers on a large scale for more than a year, she was somewhat tired yet relaxed. It was like the feeling one gets after working out properly after not doing so for a long time.

But even though she successfully destroyed every Nightmare at the entrance, she had taken damage too. One Nightmare had ferociously bitten her forearm and another had slammed into her back. One had even ripped off the back of her clothes so after blasting it to smithereens, Elsa had to ditch her torn clothes and make ice ones for herself. And she had to admit, moving in her new ice leggings and top was easier and allowed her to be more agile without worrying about her clothes ripping.

After letting out a deep exhale, Elsa straightened and froze all the sand around her, spreading it thinly on the walls of the huge room. She stood in the middle of the room, glancing down at the floor she was supposed to break. Not sure whether the people she was supposed to save were right below her or not, she froze the floor and made a hole, big enough for her to go through yet small enough for the rest of the floor to remain intact.

The minute her feet touched the ground below, few more Nightmares jumped out of the darkness and tried to bite her from all directions, attempting to rip out her flesh. With a loud growl, huge icicles grew out of Elsa and impaled them, pinning them to the wall in the process. Just when she was done with the horses, Elsa heard the swinging sound of a weapon and ducked, not sure whether it was friend or foe. She jumped back, hands held up to burst out ice when she heard the person yell.

"DIE, YOU SON OF A HALF-TROLL, RAT-EATING, MUNGE BUCKET-!"

"ASTRID?!"

The person paused and Elsa quickly used her powers to create some light and saw that it was indeed her best friend Astrid Hofferson, standing amidst the black sand with an intimidating axe in her hand.

"Elsa?! What are you doing here?!" Astrid dropped her axe and rushed forward to hug her friend.

"I came to rescue the people whom Pitch had kidnapped and-!" Elsa paused as she finally took in Astrid's appearance, "Shit, are you okay?!"

Astrid glanced down at her ripped blouse which just covered her breast and shoulders, and her pants which had been reduced to shorts, showing off various bruises and cuts across her legs and thighs. "Don't worry, its nothing."

"Nothing?!" Elsa yelled, surging forward to hold her friend while one hand automatically went for Astrid's exposed stomach. "Astrid, the baby-!"

"It's safe, it's not what you're thinking!" Astrid assured her, placing one hand on Elsa's shoulder and the other on her hand which hovered over her belly. "I didn't fight so much that my clothes got ripped! I was the one who ripped them."

"Wait, what?" Elsa blinked, confused, "Why?"

Before Astrid could reply, another voice spoke up from behind them, "Astrid, are you okay?"

Both Elsa and Astrid turned around and saw two blinking purple spheres floating slowly towards them. Elsa quickly stepped in front of Astrid with her hands stretched out, ready to burst away the weird circles. The spheres grew in size and brightness as well, continuing to close in on them, and Elsa's guard rose higher when she saw clothes floating in the air between the spheres. But before either of them could attack, Astrid stepped between them and held her hands out towards them both.

"Wait! You guys don't have to attack each other!" Astrid turned to the spheres and yelled, "This is Elsa, and she is a _friend,_ Violet! She's not here to attack us!"

The spheres quickly disappeared so Elsa slowly lowered her hands, still cautious, when a girl materialized in front of them. "Who's this?" Elsa asked Astrid.

"Elsa, this is Violet Parr, sister of Dash Parr who is also a part of the race. Violet," Astrid turned to the girl, "this is-"

"ELSA WINTERS?!" The girl -Violet- yelled in shock, staring at Elsa with her jaw dropped, "The legendary winner of the Race of Rapidity, _that_ Elsa Winters?! Holy mother of God, it IS her! Wait till I show off to Dash about this-!"

"Okay, that's enough fangirling," Astrid cut in, smirking at both of them, "She's here to get us out so we should get going."

"Wait," Elsa looked around, searching for something, "I was told that there were three people here."

Astrid and Violet glanced at each other before the former nodded to Elsa. "Yes, there's someone else here with us and we need to get him out of here fast. He's dying."

.....

 _"Jack! Jack are you alright?!"_

"Just peachy," Jack hissed, trying not to grimace as he continued flying while holding his ribs, "It's not like I _magically_ bumped into at _least_ three sea stacks at _full force_ , got _burnt_ every time I tried to conjure up my powers back in the Blizzard, and have the hamster wheel almost take my _head away_! Oh, and its a _total_ coincidence that a fireball falling from the sky _turned direction_ and headed straight for me, not once, not twice, but _five_ times! Yeah, of course, I'm okay!"

 _"Are you sure it's not the result of you repeatedly daydreaming in the middle of your race?_ "

"Manny, we know I'm stupid."

 _"Yes, I'm well aware of that fact._ "

"Geez, thanks." Jack rolled his eyes. "But tell me this, am I stupid enough to go full force at a sea stack made of rock? To purposely not save up my powers?"

_"I guess you're not THAT stupid. But why did that happen?"_

"I think Papa's little boy and his Boogeyman have something to do with it," Jack muttered.

_"Are you sure, Jack?"_

"Yes! I'm not stupid enough to do the aforementioned, and don't you think it's weird that the wheel just came off its hinges and a fireball which was already reaching the ground straight up turned around and came right towards me?!" Jack tried to keep his volume low as he focussed on the last stage of the second lap.

_"It seems like Hans has started to get annoyed that you're staying ahead of him throughout the race and is asking his Bitch to do some underground work for him."_

"Did you just call Pitch a b-"

" _Yes. Yes, I did. Anyway, my guess is that Pitch has people in the Race Committee working for him and they're the ones pulling these tricks to slow you down._ " Manny explained.

Hissing when an arrow grazed his cheek as he flew through a tsunami of them, Jack knocked out all the arrows with his wind powers before replying, "So what do we do?"

_"First thing you need to do is get your pathetic butt to the support station. Even after all of their attempts, you're still far ahead of the others so you won't have much difficulty getting back into the race."_

"Okaaayyy, then what about them cheating?" Jack asked as he finished the second lap and slammed the buttons on the side of the track, which would teleport him to his support and medical staff.

He heard Manny chuckle and his eyes grew wide at the people waiting for him.

_"Don't worry, we have it all covered."_

.....

Elsa, Astrid, and Violet ran in the direction Violet had come from. They ran for what felt like 30 minutes before they reached their destination. A huge blinking sphere blocked them from reaching the end and on the other side was a man, horribly disfigured and barely clinging on to life.

Violet snapped her fingers and the sphere disappeared. They ran towards him and Elsa gasped when she saw the man covered with bite marks, most of his body wrapped with blood-stained pieces of cloth. Elsa recognized many of the pieces as Astrid's clothes and noticed that Violet's state of appearance was similar to Astrid's.

She wasted no time in creating a stretcher while Violet grabbed a thick blanket that had been covering the man and spread it on the stretcher. Elsa grimaced at his injuries as Astrid gently lowered him on it. They ran towards the place Elsa had dropped from, her and Astrid pushing the stretcher while Violet ran in front of them with a force field in front of her.

"What happened to him, Astrid? Why is he so badly injured? And when the hell did Pitch kidnap you?!" Asked Elsa.

"To answer your first question, I don't know, Els. He's been here for much longer than Violet and I. Right after the main meeting ended and you and the others left, I went back home. But just about a day later, I was attacked by those black horses and when I started swinging at them with my axe, black ropes tied me up and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was in that dark room with that man next to me, almost dead. I did what first aid I could do but since I had no medicine or anything else, it wasn't enough to guarantee his survival. Just about a day later, the horses returned with Violet and we've been fending for ourselves and trying to keep him alive." Astrid sighed. "We don't know who he is or what's his name but we just guessed that he must be related to Jack Frost or Hans, considering the fact that both Violet and I are related to two of the participants of the Race."

Elsa stared at the guy on the stretcher, remembering how much Jack had been worried for him, "This is Jamie, Jack's close friend and driver. He was attacked and kidnapped on the day of the Light Cup race when he had been driving Jack to an airport they had wrongly been guided to. Also probably Pitch's doing, to get Jack out of the race as fast as possible. I was told about him when I was sent to save Emma, Jack's sister who had also been kidnapped, but I didn't know he was here as well."

"Wait, they kidnapped both Jack's driver and his sister? And by Pitch, you mean Pitch Black, owner of Nightmare Inc.?" Astrid asked.

"Yup," Elsa answered grimly.

"But why?"

Elsa sighed, seeing light ahead and knowing they'll be leaving soon, "You'll know soon enough."

Just then they reached the spot and Elsa told them to stay there before raising herself to the upper floor.

Many more Nightmares surrounded her the minute her feet touched the ground. Grinding her teeth, Elsa went all out and blasted them apart in one move, but that also drained her out and caused her to fall on her knees. She breathed deeply for a few seconds before standing back up.

She removed more of the floor and helped Astrid up. But just as Violet raised herself and Jamie inside another one of her spheres, they heard something like a firework exploding in the sky.

Elsa, recognizing the sound of the emergency signal flare she had conjured up and given to Emma in the form of a keychain, quickly ran outside.

.....

"What the hell are _you_ guys doing here?!"

Jack blinked in shock as he stared at Anna, Rapunzel, and Kristoff waiting for him with Bunny and Sandy.

"We're your support staff, obviously," Anna grinned but wasted no time in grabbing Rapunzel's long hair and wrapping it around him.

"Wait, wha-" Jack blinked in confusion and shock as Anna finished her job and shot a thumbs up to Rapunzel. He knew what her powers could do and he'd seen it work. But he never believed that it could save someone from fatal and inner injuries.

Remembering that she had to sing a song to activate her powers, Jack opened his mouth to protest that he didn't have time.

That's when he saw Rapunzel mutter something unintelligible at ten times the speed with which she usually spoke. Before he could make sense of her words, he felt an electric wave pass through him which caused him to shudder violently.

"What the actual fuck was tha-"

"You're cured now. Shut up and swallow this fast!" Anna yelled, showing a huge cup of shaved ice into his mouth.

"All the best, man." Kristoff patted his shoulder with a smug smirk on his face.

Jack had a million questions about everything happening around him but he wordlessly complied and took huge gulps of the ice. With surprise, he noticed that his body was not hurting anywhere and even his broken ribs had been fixed. The ice refreshed him even more and in less than half a minute, he was back on the track, fully cured and more energized than how he had been at the beginning of the race.

" **And he's back! Jack Frost has returned to the race and has made a complete recovery! And his support staff just broke the world record of the fastest support ever given to a racer, a record that had been set twenty years back by the staff of the beloved racer, Ms Ariel Atlantica!"**

"Wasn't that easy," Rapunzel smirked, cracking her knuckles.

"Yup, that ought to show people not to be arrogant assholes," Anna stated as Rapunzel sassily flicked her hair and shot a glance over her shoulder at Han's support staff.

"Yeah, serves them right for dissing the Guardians for bringing, what was it they told, 'uncouth forest barbarians.'" Merida retorted through the earpiece, standing with North at the start line as a representative of Jack's team.

"Girls, back to the race please," Bunny called out, trying to hold back his own smirk.

Anna and Rapunzel chuckled and grinned proudly as they turned back to the screen, "Aye, aye, captain."

.....

Elsa ran outside and her anger flared up again when she saw about five Nightmares attacking the ice dome she had created.

They had almost broken through when Elsa stepped up, shooting bursts of ice at each one of the magical horses and spreading it inside their bodies before exploding them to dust.

After getting rid of the black sand, Elsa disintegrated the ice dome with a flick of her hand. She kneeled down and let Emma crash into her embrace, holding the small shivering girl tightly in her arms. She looked up at Flynn, who gestured that he was fine.

"Is that them?" He asked, nodding towards the entrance.

Elsa turned around and saw Astrid and Violet walk towards them with Jamie on the stretcher. She nodded as she turned back to Flynn.

"Take out every last bit of food we have and give it to them. I'll inform Tooth to keep an ambulance ready. We're leaving right _now_."

Shrugging off his jacket and the t-shirt he had worn under, Flynn nodded before handing them to Astrid and Violet, now wearing just his tank top and jeans. He rummaged through the bag and pulled out two boxes of food and handed them over to the two of them as they all walked towards the minivan which Flynn and Elsa had used to drive over.

"Flynn, take Emma, Astrid, and Jamie in the van. I'll be right next o you with Violet." Elsa ordered, conjuring a motorbike after finishing her phone call with Tooth, "We have a race to attend."

.....

_Just what is going on...?_

Jack glanced around in confusion, noticing that nothing out of the ordinary was happening around him. The race continued just like the first lap but a bit more intense, without any weird occurrences like the previous lap. He had finished the first two stages easily and without a hitch, still maintaining the lead while the others tried their best to catch up.

Hiccup was just a little behind him and Dash was running right below them, whereas Hans seemed to have completely given up trying, knowing (believing) that he would win the race in the end.

"Manny, what the hell?" Jack hissed into the intercom, "Why have they suddenly stopped? Are they backing out for now and planning on doing something huge and worse in the final lap?"

" _No Jack, I can assure you that they are trying their very best to mess you up,"_ Manny stated casually.

"No way! There's nothing happening around me! How-?"

 _"That's the effect of_ _Kriftoff's_ _magic, Jack. He can nullify anyone's magic and can prevent anyone from using their magic on another person by just touching the other person."_ Manny stated with some pride leaking out of his voice which he tried very hard to not show. " _The girls did a very good job covering Kristoff as he secretly released his power on you._ "

"That chump had such a power?! And how come even I didn't notice him?!"

" _Don't call him that. And yes, that's his power. Why else did you think Elsa let you go with him whenever Flynn took a break? And besides, the only reason you didn't notice was because you're an idiot_."

"Dude, is that a family or a military that you're raising?! You have someone who can heal anyone even at the verge of death, a Hulk reincarnate but female, a master archer who easily pinned me to a tree with her arrows barely a centimeter away from my neck, a guy who can nullify magic, a guy who can sense what people can do and a literal queen who is the most wonderful and strongest person I've ever had the honor of mee-"

" _Focus on the damned race, Frost. The dragon is right behind you and the kid is progressing much better than you are and he's not even flying!"_

"Sheesh! Okay, I get it!" Jack shook his head and was about to speed ahead again when he heard someone speak behind him.

"Are you racing seriously?"

Jack looked back and saw Hiccup flying right behind him, his eyes concentrated on Jack.

"What?" Jack yelled back.

"I'm asking if you are racing seriously or you're putting up a show just to lose in the end!" Hiccup asked him seriously.

Jack wondered why he was asking that but then he remembered that Pitch had kidnapped people close to Hiccup and Dash as well. Looking ahead, Jack continued to fly at his usual speed, knowing Hiccup could keep up.

"Of course I'm flying seriously. Why would I put up a show?"

"Wait, didn't Pitch Black-"

"Yes, he did. Both my sister and my friend have been kidnapped."

"Then why-?"

"Your staff didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Hey Manny!" Jack suddenly yelled, surprising both Hiccup and Toothless, "you guys didn't tell them?!"

_"Tooth has been trying to contact them, Jack. But it seems like Pitch is not letting the competitors' staff interact."_

"Couldn't you have told me that before?" Jack grumbled.

_"I needed you to focus and I thought Tooth would get through."_

"Um, hello? Jack, what's going on?" Hiccup interrupted.

"Hiccup, you don't have to worry about whoever was kidnapped! They're safe! Use your full power and race!" Jack yelled.

"Wha-?!"

Seeing the heartbreak and despair on his face, Jack gave him a small smile. "Hiccup, I can assure you that they've been rescued." Jack couldn't help the grin that seeped onto his face as he continued, "Whoever was kidnapped on your side and the kid's, I'm sure they're already safe and heading back here already. God, I wouldn't be surprised if they're already here!"

"How are you so sure they're safe?!"

Jack glanced to the side and saw Hiccup glaring ahead, panic, concern and fear clouding his face as he yelled at Jack again but softer than last time, "How can you be so sure that she's safe and that I can finish the race knowing that I wouldn't have to see her dead?!"

Feeling sympathy seep into his heart at Hiccup's desperate expression and tone, Jack allowed himself to fly closer to the dragon rider before he placed his hand on his shoulder, "Trust me, I can assure you that nothing is gonna happen to whoever was kidnapped. And I'm assuming it is your wife Astrid with how you're staring at your ring and dude, why the hell are you worried? That woman would probably kill every Nightmare and then proceed to kick Pitch in his nuts just because he deserves it."

Lifting the corner of his lips in a small smile, Hiccup shook his head to himself as he whispered, "Yeah, she would." Even his dragon, Toothless, grinned with its tongue hanging out.

Jack found himself smiling at the look of love on the dragon rider's face and before Hiccup could see it, he quickly switched over to a smirk as he yelled, "Do me a favour and tell the kid down there! I'm gonna go ahead and win the race so that I can see my wonderful Elsa again!"

"That's your motive for winning this race?!" Hiccup exclaimed, voice filled with shock and humour.

"It is now!" Jack grinned cheekily.

"Whatever, see you at the finish line, Grandpa!"

"Sure, after I cross the line before you, you mean!" Jack winked.

"In your dreams, sucker!" Hiccup grinned back.

"The only thing you'll be finding in my dreams is a beautiful, talented, and amazing woman who goes by the beautiful name Elsa-!"

Hiccup groaned loudly and closed his ears with his hands before yelling, "Oh my Thor, shut up and get going already!"

"As you wish! Try to keep up and come at least second place, bro!"

And with that, Jack picked up his speed and shot ahead.


	23. Chapter 23

_"Are you sure you've never taken therapy classes, kid?"_ Manny asked dryly.

"You think I had time for that between being poor and emo, and also training my ass off?" Jack rolled his eyes, concentrating on spinning the wheel as fast as possible.

_"I'm starting to think you did after seeing you comfort so many people, including myself though it didn't really work out with me."_

"Aw, you're just in denial, Manny dearest. You just don't want to accept that I managed to make quite a few dents in your heart." Jack smirked, seeing the count pass 400. "Besides, I truly never went to any therapy classes as you suggested. I just tell what I feel and occasionally tell what Elsa might have told if she were in my place."

Waiting for a reply, Jack finished spinning the wheel and proceeded to enter the volcanic area, noticing with a sick feeling in his stomach that the heat was increased way too high to even breath properly. He controlled the temperature of his own body before flying through the smoke, using his wind powers to clear the path in front of him while staying attentive to any direction-changing-fireballs. He wasn't sure when Manny started speaking as his entire focus was on not dying but he heard the end of the sentence as he entered the next stage.

_"-like Elsa so much?"_

"Say what?" Jack tried hard to understand Manny as he flew away from a huge and angry whale that jumped out of the now water-filled stage of the race.

 _"Do you really like Elsa so much? Are your feelings genuine, Jack? Will you really protect her heart and not break it?"_ Manny asked in a surprisingly soft voice.

Knowing that Elsa was a sensitive topic for Manny and that he really meant what he asked, Jack gave a soft smile, "I'm pretty sure you know the answer already, old man. If me emotionally torturing you continuously at the rink didn't already show my feelings, I don't know what will. Besides," Jack smirked as he started the next lap, "I'd be an idiot to leave Elsa behind, and an even bigger one if I ever broke her heart. Let's just hope that she doesn't end up breaking mine by rejecting me after the race 'cause she might have told me to find someone else but I'm still smitten for her."

 _"Yeah, please don't talk all that romantic stuff about her with me of all people."_ Manny coughed out, hearing which Jack couldn't help but snicker, _"I feel stuck between thanking you for your help and strangling you for thinking of her that way."_

"Dont let Elsa know about that second part of your sentence. She might blow you up if she heard you caring about her now." Jack shook his head to himself.

 _"Let's just hope her feelings change after I apologize properly after all this is done."_ Manny sighed.

Jack just smiled and focussed back on the race, shooting a wink and a kiss to the main camera -which had the audience going wild- before entering the second stage of the race with the sea stacks.

He dodged all the sky-high pillars of rock with ease, noting how the number of sea stacks seemed to increase the closer they reached the conclusion of the race. Wondering if there's gonna be any space to move in the next and final lap, Jack continued weaving through the rocks, listening to Manny who instructed him to move in the correct directions. He noticed Hiccup and Toothless flying faster than before and Dash easily dodging the sea stacks while running on water.

_They're finally racing seriously._

With a smirk, he noticed Hans behind all of them. He couldn't see his face but Jack was pretty sure that Pitch and co were starting to notice that no one was backing away, with how Hans seemed to actually put some effort into flying fast. 

Still maintaining his lead, Jack looked ahead and yelled at the wind to take him faster, exhilaration and utter joy seeping into the depths of his soul as he temporarily ignored everything around him. He ignored the race, the people flying behind him, the old man screaming into his ear, the crowd's noise, the 101 cameras focused on them, and everything else. He shot high into the sky diagonally, reaching a greater height while still covering distance. He continued doing so until he reached even above the clouds, where the sea stacks didn't reach.

For a second, Jack truly forgot about everything and took the chance to look at the beauty of the sky. He absentmindedly asked himself when was the last time he had this much fun while flying. Without a second of hesitation, the image of him carrying Elsa on the night they went to her secret garden flashed before his eyes. His heart ached to see her again but he remembered that she is out there, doing her best to save his sister, his one joy, the one person for whom Jack wakes up for everyday. So while she is out there, fighting for his sake, he couldn't exactly afford to fail her by losing the race.

And that's the minute Manny decided to make him deaf but screaming as loud as possible.

_"JACK FROST GET YOUR PATHETIC ASS BACK INTO THE GAME RIGHT NOW!"_

_Oh yeah, I'm still in the race..._

As if he had merely forgotten to wear his hoodie and didn't just basically skip out in the middle of what could be considered the most important race of his life, Jack just shrugged and let himself fall, knowing that he was already well past the sea stacks and was hovering over the clear ocean. He let go of his staff and continued to let gravity do its thing, not bothered in the slightest. He even turned around and faced the ocean, grinning in excitement as he hurtled closer to the ocean.

Just before he could hit the waters, his staff flew into his hand and he sped ahead, noting with satisfaction how the water rose and emphasized his path behind him. He dunk his head into the water and reveled in the cold and harsh feeling.

Hearing Manny going crazy, Jack lifted his head and pushed his hair back as he finally reached the end of the stage and was teleported to the next stage, the blizzard.

"What's the order?" He asked cheerfully, chuckling to himself as Manny lost his shit over Jack's laid back attitude.

_"What's the order?! JACK FROST ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! YOU'RE DEAD LAST YOU DUMBFUCK!"_

"Okay, but I pretty much knew that. Who's ahead?" He asked again, collecting as much energy as he could from the cold around him.

 _"Hiccup is in the lead, Hans is next and Dash is third."_ Manny ground out with a voice as tight as it could get.

"Oh, okay." Jack spun horizontally in the middle of the raging snowstorm, sucking all the energy and power of the storm into himself. Manny continued yelling through the intercom but Jack wasn't bothered. He knew what he was doing and he knew he was going to win. So when he was content and fully charged, he entered the next stage. With just one gust of air, he managed to spin the huge wheel at least 50 times. Once he was done, he entered the volcanic stage.

All he did was cover himself in a ball of wind and frost and push himself ahead as much as possible. He noticed with pride and surprise how even a fireball which came straight at him and a volcanic eruption right below him did nothing to damage his little ball of cold wind. So without any worry, Jack flew at a speed Elsa would've been proud of, all those days of practice at the Guardians company and the grounds near the rink finally paying off.

In no time, Jack had passed Dash and Hans and had caught up to Hiccup. And that's when he noticed something was wrong.

Even though all he caught was a fleeting glimpse, Jack could recognise a thickly wrapped bandage around Dash's head that hadn't been there previously, and the wound still seemed to be bleeding. The young boy even had a cast on his arm and was holding it with his other hand as he struggled to run around the mountains. Jack looked around and saw a makeshift cast on one of Toothless's wing and bandages on Hiccup's midsection and right eye. His stump was also bleeding and the blood was seeping up his clothes and falling away behind them as they continued flying with everything they have.

"Manny," Jack called out, all of his previous ecstasy replaced by seriousness as he entered the next stage, " _what_ happened?"

Manny took a few seconds to understand what he meant and sighed when he realised the meaning behind his words. " _Pitch and company seem to have realised that all of you are fighting to win. My whole attention had been on you so I hadn't noticed either but it seems like they're pulling the same cheap tricks they pulled with you before, just more intense and dangerous._ "

He paused for a few more minutes as if he was checking something and Jack heard Manny inhale sharply. " _Jack you need to be careful. They literally threw a huge glacier at Dash, which he barely escaped but ended up with a pretty serious wound on his head. Hiccup and Toothless, on the other hand, have been getting hit with attacks since the beginning of this lap. A sea stack they had already passed suddenly broke and headed towards them just as they met with a dead-end and the dragon covered the rider with its wing and had it broken. They were again injured when the rocks in the volcanic stage lifted from the ground and went straight for Hiccup when Toothless and he had been focussed on dodging a fireball._ "

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing as he muttered under his breath, "what the _actual FUCK?!"_

_"Jack, its time you get completely serious. Pitch is out for the kill. He literally doesn't care about anything and is focussing on straight-up killing all of you to let Hans win. Please, for the love of God, be careful. And come to the support station at once."_

Jack didn't reply and continued to fly through literal fire, which was probably authorized by Pitch to kill Jack and empower Hans. With a roar of anger, Jack snuffed out the fire around him and realised that the fire stays put for a mere second before reappearing.

Ignoring the heat around him, Jack focussed his powers to increase in his staff, and with one wide sweep, he snuffed out the fire in the whole stage. And before it could return, Jack shot ahead and was slamming the button for the support station.

He stayed quiet and just glared at the floor as Anna wrapped him up as fast as possible.

"Did you see them?" Jack asked, trying hard to not let rage take over.

Everyone at the support station looked serious and stoic as they continued with their duties.

"Yes Jack," Anna replied, anger laced in her voice, "We all saw what happened."

"We can't let that happen again," Rapunzel started with determination as she finished curing Jack, just in case he was tired. " _You_ can't let that happen again."

"But how...?" Jack asked as frustration and helplessness finally replaced the anger, "how the hell can I finish the race while protecting them and avoid getting attacked myself?! I'm not Elsa! I don't have a solution for everything and-!"

"Jack, you know what a mess Elsa can be if she lets her emotions take control and that's exactly what's happening to you," Rapunzel stated at Anna continued shoving ice in his mouth. "Clear your head and think, Jack."

Jack sighed and rubbed his forehead hard as Kristoff renewed his magic and pushed him back onto the race track.

"Manny, what should I do? I don't want them to die because Pitch's little baby isn't talented enough to win on his own!" Jack groaned, picking up his speed when he realised that he was last again.

_"Focus on what you came for. The rest will unfold naturally."_

"Say what?" Jack yelled as he entered the sea stack stage, "I can't focus on winning when there are lives on the line!"

_"I'm telling you, Jack. Do what must be done and the rest will unfold naturally."_

"Manny, wha-?!" Jack paused, in his speech and in his race, as understanding finally settled in. " _Oh._ "

_"Yes, Jack. 'Oh'. What a great thing to tell wHEN YOU'RE LAST IN THE RACE!!"_

Jack winced, hand reaching up to pull the intercom out on instinct before he rubbed his ear and placed it back in. "Okay, I get it. I'm going now!" He shook his head one last time before shooting into the sky with everything he had. 

_"Hurry it up already, you useless excuse of a-"_ Manny stopped and spoke with someone next to him.

Jack raised an eyebrow as he continued listening and trying to understand the muffled conversation. He stopped his vertical flight into the sky when the reached the top of the sea stacks and flew horizontally towards the end of the stage. The air so high up was thin enough that any of the other racers might have suffocated within seconds but Jack's control of the wind proved helpful in providing him the essential gases so high up in the atmosphere.

Just when he was about to finish the stage, Manny came back and seemed to burst with energy.

"Manny, what's wro-?"

 _"Jack,"_ Manny interrupted him before he could even finish his question, _"Elsa's here."_

.....

"Tooth, over here!"

Elsa waved her hands wildly and sighed in relief when the fairy finally saw them. They shared a quick greeting before Tooth walked past her towards the minivan where Astrid, Flynn and Emma got out one by one.

"Oh my God, Emma!" Tooth hugged the young girl tightly, letting a few tears slip out before she checked Emma's injuries, "We need to get you to the hospital!"

"Tooth, where's the ambulance? Get them here, quick!" Elsa rushed, helping Flynn lift Jamie's stretcher out of the van.

"Wha-? Wait, NO-!" Tooth rushed to their side and took in Jamie's appearance, tears clouding her sight as she fell to her knees, "Jamie-!"

"He's alive!" Astrid crouched down and assured the woman, "He is very much alive and was even conscious till yesterday! Please, we need to get him to the hospital, fast!"

Tooth sniffed and stood up, face full of determination as she led the way. Elsa and Flynn ran after her with the stretcher and helped place Jamie inside the ambulance.

"I'll go with him," Tooth informed Elsa as she got into the ambulance as well, "And Emma-"

"I'm staying here." The brunette stated.

Tooth looked shocked as she looked at the young girl but she quickly got over herself as she glared at her, "Emma, you cant! You're injured! You need to come at once-!"

"I'm not coming!" Emma stated as she walked forward and held Tooth's hand, "Please, Tooth, I want to see my brother. I want to be here when he finishes that race and I want him to know that I'm safe! Elsa already patched me up and fed me so let me stay! Please!"

Tooth stared at her with mixed feelings. She looked at Elsa, who nodded her approval, and she sighed.

"Okay then, be safe." Tooth moved deeper into the ambulance as the driver closed the door. "He'll take you inside!" She yelled before the ambulance left.

"Who?" Flynn cocked his head to the side in confusion.

Just then a puff of golden sand appeared out of nowhere and a short man with spiky golden hair stepped out of the sand.

"Sandy!" Emma squealed as she ran forward and hugged the man tightly. He hugged her back for a few seconds before pulling back to check on Emma.

Recognising the hair, Elsa realised that he had been one of the men who had come to take Jack away at the rink.

"Who's this, Emma?" Violet asked, voicing everyone's confusion.

Emma stepped back and gestured to the man as she introduced him, "Guys, this is Sandy, one of Jack's manager. And Sandy, this is-"

The man -Sandy- stopped her, tapped his wristwatch, and shook his head to show that they didn't have time before gesturing everyone to follow him. They all walked behind him as he showed something to the guard and walked past the huge doors of the stadium, ushering everyone inside.

Elsa felt nauseous as she walked up the familiar stadium stairs. She turned her head to the side when Flynn stood by her and rubbed her back comfortingly, at which she smiled in gratitude. With a deep breath, Elsa walked through another set of doors that opened out to the stadium and was met with a gust of warm air.

 _I'm back,_ she thought bitterly.

Before she could think of any depressing thoughts, Astrid's gasp caught her attention.

"Hiccup...!"

Elsa turned back to the huge screens and her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw his injuries. The bandage on his eye was soaked with blood and there were many layers of bandages tied around his waist. Elsa's eyes drifted to the next screen and she noticed Dash Parr's injuries with a heart heavy with sorrow for the young boy. Her suspicions that this might be Pitch's doings were confirmed when she saw an uninjured and pleased Hans flying in the lead. Just seeing his face on such a huge screen made Elsa nauseous and she reached out and held Flynn's arm to remain standing.

She didn't feel bad for long and even smirked with satisfaction when she saw Hans' expression drop. The crowd roared to life as Jack Frost took the lead, face determined and focussed on the race and nothing else. Just seeing him again made Elsa's heart flutter, but that was nothing compared to the pride and love she was filled with when Jack raced ahead without even looking back at Hans. 

She glanced to the side and saw Astrid's face filled with concern. She walked to her side and wrapped an arm around her as she whispered, "Don't worry, Astrid. He's gonna be okay."

Astrid nodded almost like she was reminding herself of the fact, her own hand reaching up to touch Elsa's on her shoulder, "Yeah, he is. He's fine. They're all fine."

"We're fine too," Elsa stated, gaze fixed on the screens, her other hand holding Violet's as Emma clung onto Flynn's hand next to them. "And we'll be here when they finally finish it all."

"Yeah," Astrid smiled, "we will." 


	24. Chapter 24

_Yes, that's right. Put all your focus on me._

Jack continued forging ahead as fast as he could, putting every ounce of his attention to his surroundings. He stayed mindful of the information Manny continued telling, getting confirmations that the unfair attacks on Hiccup and Dash had effectively stopped as Pitch's group focussed on Jack from the minute he took the lead. He sighed in relief when Manny told him about Elsa, Emma, and Jamie's safe return, which just drove him to fly faster.

Even in the blizzard, which was Jack's strength in the race, Pitch seemed to have someone controlling the winds as Jack found himself thrown off balance many times. Manny informed him that Kristoff is trying as hard as possible so it shouldn't be a problem anymore, but Pitch's guy seemed to be pretty powerful. But no matter what they did, Jack didn't allow himself to be controlled or distracted as he concentrated on collecting energy from around him.

He flew fast enough that even if they could control the winds, Pitch's henchman couldn't harm him in any way as he flew faster than the winds around him. He noticed that Pitch's guy had a very slow reaction to anything happening with Jack so he used that as an advantage and finished that stage before the person could even decide what to do next.

In the next stage, Jack froze the entire wheel and used both his wind and ice powers to spin it, much faster than any of his previous attempts. He was done with the wheel in no time and entered his next stage as soon as possible.

Right after entering the stage, he dodged a fireball that had changed direction. None of the attempted attacks harmed him thanks to Kristoff's magic, but they did affect his speed and so did the other natural occurrences like debris flying around which occasionally slit his face or hands or any uncovered body part. But just as he thought to himself that it was all going according to his plan, he heard a huge explosion that definitely didn't sound like a volcanic eruption.

Not able to afford to look around himself, Jack yelled at Manny through the intercom, "Manny, what happened?"

 _"Fucking Pitch,"_ Manny cursed under his breath as he replied, _"He has changed tactics again. Now that he's seen that he can't harm you, he has instead started aiming for the other two, who are also way ahead of Hans. That explosion just now was to take out -and probably murder- Dash Parr. Thankfully, he dodged the attack but not fast enough. A huge rock hit the back of his head and he's out of the race now. Jack, he's definitely not going to stop. You and Hiccup are bound to be attacked for sure. Be careful."_

Cursing Pitch and Hans to death, Jack looked over his shoulder glared at Hans, who glared right back at him. Hiccup, who was flying just a few meters ahead of Hans, caught Jack's eye and a silent agreement was shared between them. Jack looked ahead and continued flying as fast as possible, resisting a smirk as Manny informed him that Hiccup was covering the distance between them really fast. Soon enough, Jack could hear the furious wing flaps of the dragon behind him, which prompted him to let out another burst of wind as he pushed himself ahead. And soon enough, they finished that stage and entered the next and last one.

When he took in his surroundings, Jack was first met with confusion, suspicion, and then finally rage, as he found himself inside a long, dark, jet black tunnel. His only sources of light were his staff, which was glowing dimly, and a faint spot of light at a long distance, which was probably where they had to head over.

_Of course Pitch would do this. This is exactly what he did to throw Elsa, the legendary racer of all time, out of the race._

_"Jack, I'm pretty sure Pitch has prepped Hans with night vision goggles to help him sneak attacks on both of you. The cameras were probably not ready for this seeing how absolutely nothing is visible on the screens, also probably Pitch's doing. Use every sense of yours for attacks and get out of there as soon as possible."_

"Roger that."

Jack flew faster than he ever did, gritting his teeth as the energy in him faded away. Nonetheless, he pushed himself to fly, not caring if he broke a limb or two. And that's when he sensed something fly at him from above. He quickly dodged and continued flying ahead, head turned to see just what had tried to attack him.

But that had been his fatal mistake.

He had been so focussed on seeing behind that he sensed something come at him from right ahead of him just a bit too late. Before he could realise what was going on, he was suddenly stopped, something holding him in the air.

"Magical attacks might not work on you," a voice whispered in Jack's ear and unpleasant chills ran down his spine when he recognised the voice, "but physical ones might."

Before Jack could even breathe, Pitch punched him in the gut, hard enough to throw him backward at the same speed he had used to fly forward. Vision black with dizziness and pain, Jack almost succumbed to the pain until Manny yell into his ear.

_"Emma and Elsa are waiting for you, moron!"_

And with that, he willed himself to stay conscious. Jack flailed around helplessly, trying hard to move forward and not backward. His muscles tinged with familiarity and as the wind blew against his ears, Jack remembered Manny's words. 

_'Find the method you're most comfortable with and move in the direction you want to.'_

_The method I'm most comfortable with?_

Time seemed to slow down as Jack finally seemed closer to the answer he had been searching for for weeks as the wind rushing by his ears whispered secret clues to him. Every time he moved his hands, he felt the wind. Every turn his body made, he could feel the wind. Even at that moment as he flailed his arms like a idiot, the wind followed him. All of this finally made Jack realise a crucial yet simple fact.

_The world is surrounded by air all the time. Wind is nothing but moving air. Air is always moving so there's wind at all times. I control the wind, which is literally everywhere around me. So this entire space..._

_...is mine to control._

And just like that, Jack flew right ahead towards the light as if he hadn't been falling backwards with just as much speed he was currently using.

 _"What the hell was that?!"_ Manny screamed, going ballistic on the other side, " _moving right ahead without a single fraction of a second of delay in the exact opposite direction is scientifically impossible!"_

Jack smirked, holding his staff in front of him like a baseball bat as his widened wind-radar told him exactly what was hiding in the darkness and where it was, "Scientifically? No, its not possible. But magically?" Jack gave a feral grin as he reached his target, "Hell yeah, it is!"

Like a madman, he swung his staff like a bat in the darkness. The sound of his staff hitting something and the body falling down flowed into Jack's ears like his favourite music. "And I'm pretty sure that was Pitch's jaw!"

He laughed loudly and flew into the light, reappearing at the stadium's track. The crowd went wild around him and Jack eyed the white tape waiting to be crossed at the far end of the track.

" _Congratulations, Jack Frost, you've officially reached the last distance to be covered to become the winner of the Race of Rapidity,_ " Manny spoke with as much cheeriness of a dead person, " _Now do me a favour and cross that ribbon before Hiccup and Hans show up._ "

"As you wish, Mr Moon," With a smirk, Jack used the remnants of his powers and sped through the track.

Just as he reached halfway across the track, a loud crash was heard in the background which had Jack pause temporarily, "What was that?"

_"Pitch just caught his own fish with his disgusting black string and the said fish is now writhing on the ground, yelling curses. Now keep going!"_

Even as his brain screamed in happiness, telling him that Hans got what he deserved, a tiny, minuscule part of his heart pitied the man with the fire powers. He shook himself out of his thoughts and flew ahead when another crash echoed throughout the stadium and created silence everywhere.

"What happened now?" Jack asked, dreading the silence as he neared the white ribbon.

_"Hiccup and Toothless have crashed!"_

"WHAT?!" Jack stopped abruptly, the white ribbon literally just a few inches from his body.

_"Jack, what are you doing?!"_

Jack ignored his voice in his ear and turned around, his heart dropping at the sight of his fellow competitor fallen on the ground and bleeding all over, not moving as his dragon crooned worriedly next to him. His mind flashed with a newspaper picture that had changed the entire life of the one person who still owned his heart.

Behind Hiccup, Hans burnt away the sand holding his foot and regained his composure as he picked up his board and climbed on.

With a murderous death glare on his face, Hans let out a war cry as he closed in on the finish line. But he paused midway when he saw Jack float towards him and not the end line.

"You wanna fight?!" Hans yelled and held up his flaming hands, assuming that Jack was headed towards him for a fight, "Lets fucking fight!"

He swung at Jack who completely ignored him in favour of looking at Hiccup behind him. Not expecting this, Hans stumbled and almost fell off his flying board. He turned around in a rage and fisted his hand to go in for a punch- and was left confused yet again when Jack just continued floating away from the finish line and himself. He shifted glances between Jack and the finish line in confusion, before deciding that finishing the race was more important to him than picking a fight with a nobody.

With a yell of victory, he flew straight towards the white ribbon and grabbed it with his hand, holding it up in the air, looking around at the audience expectantly.

But no one was screaming. 

No one was cheering for him. None of his fangirls were falling all over themselves to get to him. Not a single camera was focussed on him.

Because everyone was staring at the middle of the track in absolute silence, where Jack Frost was kneeling next to the fallen Hiccup Haddock.

"Hey man, you okay?" Jack asked, his voice echoing throughout the stadium thanks to every magical mic pointed towards him.

Hiccup didn't respond but merely grunted, reaching one hand out to stroke Toothless's snout. "What are you doing, Frost?" He asked in response to Jack's question.

"The right thing to do, which I wish I could've done back there with the Kid as well." Jack shrugged, holding out a hand for Hiccup to take.

"You're an idiot," Hiccup grumbled, holding his hand tightly as he rose to his foot. "You do realise that you just gave up the Tachyons cup like an absolute moron, right?"

"Yup," Jack replied cheerily.

Shaking his head at Jack's stupidity, Hiccup allowed himself to smile. As he leaned on Toothless for support, he bit back a cry of pain and removed his prosthetic leg which had shattered and had been stabbing his stump. "Are you okay, bud?" Hiccup asked his partner, who crooned and licked his face.

The entire stadium winced in heartache at the sight of Toothless's wings, both of which were broken and sticking out in ways they weren't supposed to.

Hiccup stroked his snout and leaned his own head against Toothless's as he whispered, "I'm sorry bud."

The dragon crooned encouragingly, which had everyone in the audience shedding tears at the exchange.

"So," Jack interrupted, holding his hand out to Hiccup once again, "you ready?"

Hiccup gave him a smile. With one hand on Toothless's back and the other in Jack's, the three of them limped towards the finish line with small steps. The closer they got to the line, the louder the audience clapped. But just when they were a few steps away from the line, Hiccup paused to take a deep breath as he asked Jack one simple word:

"Why?"

Jack just smiled at him as the entire audience waited for his answer with bated breath, "Let's just say that you fallen there reminded me of someone who lost their dream due to a very similar situation."

Somewhere in the audience, the object of his affections clamped her hand on her mouth, tears flowing freely as she clung onto her best friend, who was also crying next to her.

Together, Jack, Hiccup, and Toothless crossed the white line and the crowd went insane. Fireworks exploded in the sky and the band started playing loudly. Cheerleaders covered the track and danced and at the same time, parademics rushed towards the two racers. They focussed on wrapping them up but the racers' attention was elsewhere.

"Hiccup!" Astrid ran towards them, face filled with worry.

Hiccup let go of Jack and lunged towards his wife, forgetting that he didn't have his prosthetic leg. He fell forward but Astrid caught him in time. But not having eaten properly for the past few days took its toll on the ex-racer and she lost her balance under her husband's weight. Before they could touch the ground though, Hiccup flipped them over so that she fell on him.

Neither of them paid attention to their surroundings as they held on to each other tightly. Hiccup peppered her face with kisses as tears slipped past their eyes. Astrid grinned before pressing her lips against his, passion and relief evident in their embrace.

Jack watched them with a smile, and only realised what was going on around him when a nurse asked him to get on the ambulance. He quickly diverted their attention to Hiccup and Astrid who clearly needed medical attention more than him.

 _"Hey Frost,"_ Manny called out, _"Look around."_

Jack didn't need to ask him the reason because he got his answer when he heard a certain voice calling out his name.

"Jack!"

And there she came. His little angel running towards him with the happiest smile he had ever seen on his face.

Jack's heart skipped a beat as he turned around, his eyes filled with tears as he was greeted with the sight of his eleven-year-old sister running toward him. At that moment, when she ran towards him with tears staining her cheeks and a wide smile on her face, Jack realised just how much he had missed her smile, her joy, and _her._ He fell to his knees and opened his arms wide; the warmth he felt when Emma jumped into his embrace was not something he could put into words.

He hugged her tightly like she was his lifeline, pressing kisses against her temple as the two siblings forgot the rest of the world and focussed on each other. Jack pulled back and examined her with one hand while the other kept her close. Guilt and anger filled his heart at the number of bandages tied all over her. He held her close as he whispered apologies repeatedly, even after Emma shook her head and told him not to worry.

Sensing another presence in front of him, Jack lifted his head and his heart skipped a beat as Elsa smiled down at him. Emma, noticing Jack's attention on Elsa, gave him a tight squeeze before stepping back with a smile on her face. Jack gave her a grateful smile as he stood up and faced the love of his life.

Elsa wasted no time in wrapping her arms around his neck as he wrapped his own arms around her body. The familiarity of her cold body pressing against his sent waves of relief over him and his heart burst with love as he finally held the woman he'd been yearning for in all those days that he spent away from her.

They pulled back after what felt like hours but didn't pull their hands back.

"What have you been up to, Snowflake?" Jack muttered, gently stroking a cut on her cheek.

"You know, breaking into Pitch's house, saving lives, being badass. The usual," She shrugged with a smirk on her face, placing her forehead against his.

"The love of my life is too cool for me, even when she looks like a hot mess," Jack stated, smiling at her.

Elsa's smile grew and a blush slowly made its way into her cheeks, "Well, the love of my life still looks handsome as always, even though he lost a race and has injuries all over his face."

Jack sighed and averted his eyes downward, shame and guilt taking its place in his heart as he spoke, "I'm so sorry, Elsa. You worked so hard and saved my sister _and_ my friend and then here I am, disappointing you by losing the race even though I could've easily wo-"

"Shhh," Elsa whispered, placing a finger on his lips as she leaned back to look at him in the eyes, tears filled in her own as she smiled, "You haven't disappointed me in the slightest, Jack. You're right, you could have easily won. But you didn't. You gave up the Tachyons cup to help Hiccup cross the finish line, even though you didn't have any obligation to do so. Jack," She made him face her as she stated as clearly and strongly as she could, "No one has ever made me as proud as I am of you right now."

She gave a wide smile before pressing a toe-curling sweet kiss on his lips, which Jack returned with the same fervour that she did. They stayed that way for almost an entire minute, neither wanting the moment to end as they indulged themselves in what they both had dreamt of every night ever since that blissful yet painful night.

They finally broke apart when they heard a loud 'WHAT' from their side and turned around, just to see Hiccup holding Astrid's hands as if he was holding on to his life, eyes blown wide as tears flowed down freely.

"Astrid, are you really-?! You're-!" He stumbled over his words, eyes darting from her eyes to her flat stomach.

Astrid looked like she hadn't meant to say anything but wordlessly nodded, biting her lip in anticipation.

Hiccup stayed quiet, staring at Astrid in shock.

When he didn't answer for many seconds, Astrid poked his ribs where she knew he was ticklish. Instead of yelping or laughing as she had expected, Hiccup proceeded to fall backward, freaking out his wife and all of his friends who rushed to catch him. They placed his unconscious body on a stretcher and strolled him away; some of them worried for his wellbeing while the rest tried to hold back their laughter at the fact that he had fainted in shock because he was about to become a father.

"Wait, is she-?" Jack asked Elsa, having witnessed the whole ordeal. Elsa nodded, biting her lip as a smile erupted on her face. Jack whistled, looking at Hiccup as he tried not to laugh. "I can't wait to tease him about this later."

Elsa rolled her eyes and smacked his neck, where her hands had previously been resting. Jack yelped when her hand brushed against a thin cut on his neck, which Elsa realised was there just at that moment.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry!" Elsa winced, her hand suspended in the air hesitantly.

"That hurt," Jack pouted, making sure she understood that he wasn't actually hurt through his expression.

Elsa smiled and leaned forwards, pressing a soft kiss on his cut, noticing with satisfaction as blood rushed up his neck towards his cheeks.

"Better?" she asked, staring at him through her eyelashes along with a smirk on her face.

"Uh-huh," he stuttered, a finger coming up to point at his forehead, "this hurts as well."

Elsa smiled but kissed his forehead nonetheless, her hands on either side of his face. "Anywhere else?" she purred.

"Mhm," Jack hummed, watching her with half-lidded eyes as he puckered his lips, "here."

Elsa rolled her eyes, a good-natured smile plastered on her face as she stroked his cheek. But just as she leaned forward to press her own lips against his, someone whooped loudly behind them.

Turning around, Elsa saw Flynn carrying Emma on his shoulders as both of them stared at Jack and her with smirks on their faces.

"Dude, that's like the third or fourth time you've cockblocked me!" Jack yelled, obviously annoyed.

Elsa smacked his chest, blushing at his choice of words. Jack winced once again and finally allowed himself to be taken to Rapunzel, who had finished curing Hiccup and was nursing Astrid.

Once he sat down, he realised just how exhausted he was despite Rapunzel curing him during his race. The rest of his team caught up with them and all of them took their time congratulating him.

Merida whacked him on his shoulder despite his protests; Kristoff ruffled his hair which annoyed him more; Sandy hugged him while keeping his injuries in mind whereas North crushed him in his embrace. After Bunny shoved him off his seat, Anna stepped forward and surprised Jack by hugging him gently.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

Jack understood the meaning behind her gratefulness and nodded, smiling as he hugged her back. His eyes slid to Elsa, who smiled and tilted her head in confusion. Jack shook his head and assured her it was nothing. They pulled back and grinned at each other before Anna flicked his forehead while congratulating him.

Rapunzel walked towards them, looking a little drained after healing so many people. But despite how tired she was, she congratulated Jack with a bright smile and hugged him. When they pulled back, she started wrapping her hair around him as well, taking Anna's help with a grateful smile.

A phone rang and it turned out to be Sandy's, who excused himself, signing that Tooth had called to tell about Jamie and he had some other matters to discuss with her.

As the light faded from Rapunzel's hair after she healed him, they heard someone clear their throat behind them.

Turning around, everyone bristled when they saw Pitch Black standing with his workers.


	25. Chapter 25

"Congratulations Jack Frost," Pitch sneered, all of his fake politeness nowhere to be seen.

"Thanks," Jack stated, his friends right behind him and Elsa holding his hand tightly. "Nice injury you've got there. Is your jaw alright?" He asked with a nasty smirk of his own.

Pitch's scowl deepened, eyebrow twitching in annoyance as he hissed, "How dare you talk to me that way, you little-!"

"You know what," Jack cut in, "how about you explain how you got that? I'm sure the world would like to know how the person with the most successful sports agency managed to get such a bad bruise when his own racer looks completely okay."

Pitch continued glaring at Jack and then suddenly smirked. But instead of telling anything he glanced at Jack's side and grinned at Elsa. "Its been quite a while since I last saw you, my honey," He spoke with a sugary sweet voice, eyes glinting evilly as he continued, "I see you're trying to ride Frost's coattails now since your own attempts resulted in failure."

"What did you just say?!" Jack stepped forward with his staff glowing in his hands but was stopped by Bunny's grasp on his shoulder and Elsa's grip tightening around his hand. Behind him, he could hear Kristoff and Merida struggle to hold Anna back but his focus was entirely centered on Pitch in front of him.

"The truth, Mr. Frost," Pitch smiled, taking pleasure in riling them up. "I gotta say, I'm impressed that she even had the courage to show her face in public again, after failing so amazingly. On top of that, she even broke into my house! I'm pretty sure she could be jailed for that!"

Jack lunged forward and grabbed Pitch by his collar, his other hand clenched and ready to throw a punch as his eyes widened in rage. The only reason he couldn't land the punch was Elsa and Bunny's interference. The latter locked his strong arms around Jack's waist and shoulder while Elsa grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

For Pitch's luck, his own lackeys pulled him out of Jack's grasp and surrounded him protectively. But that didn't stop him from talking. "I gotta say though," He started, eyes raking over her body with a predatory look, "with that body of yours, you don't have to become a racer to gain more fame and money. I'm sure I know a lot of business partners who would pay quite a lot of money to get their hands on that."

 _"What the fuck did you just say, you_ ** _bitch?!_** _"_ Anna roared behind them, held back by her boyfriend, Merida and North. The others tried hard to stay put as well, knowing he was saying stuff to get a reaction out of them and eventually get them into trouble.

"I'm gonna kill him," Jack hissed, trying to get out of Bunny's grasp, "I'm gonna kill him and make sure I enjoy doing it!"

"Jack, you're not the type of person to enjoy killing someone else," Elsa stated, pulling his face by the chin to make sure he saw her when she said, "you're not _him._ "

Jack calmed down a little at that, but his body still remained stiff and tensed.

"By the way," Pitch continued, "Thank you for your concern about my injury, Mr. Frost. But I'm pretty sure your team looks more beaten up than me. Especially that small girl there. Considering how much of a good brother you are, one would think you'd be more concerned about your sister than someone whom you've met just once. Also, I don't see that other guy, the bus driver. My Nightmares had such an amazing time playing with him, you know."

"Shut the fuck up!" Jack hissed, barely holding back. Due to all of his focus directed towards Pitch, he failed to notice Elsa's grip loosening and Bunny tensing behind him.

As if he couldn't see Jack's rage right in front of him, Pitch leaned forward and whispered, "Would you like to know just how much I enjoyed every time your sister screamed?"

Jack paused; any and every emotion in his body disappearing to let anger and terror fill into his soul. When he saw Pitch glance at something in the side with a smirk on his face, Jack turned as well and his rage doubled when he saw Emma hiding her face in Flynn's shoulder, her entire body trembling in fear.

Just as he tensed up, ready to lose all control if it meant killing Pitch, his attention was drawn to his hand which was in Elsa's grasp. A finger lifted off his hand and another followed suit until Elsa fully let go. He looked up at her and saw her glaring at Pitch with the scariest look he had ever seen on her face.

Without a word, Elsa stepped to the side, her own powers starting to create a blizzard around them. Even Bunny let go of him, reaching for his own magical boomerangs.

Jack glanced one last time at his sister, soaking in every bit of rage he felt until he was creepily calm. Instead of charging right at Pitch, he walked towards his target with heavy steps, huge icicles sprouting out of the ground every time his foot touched the ground. The closer he walked the Pitch, the more his powers increased, creating a snowstorm around them.

Just as he reached Pitch's group, he sweeped one hand through the air sideways and every one of Pitch's lackeys were blown away by a strong gust of wind, landing several feet away from their boss. When they tried to get up again, they were either knocked out or pinned down by the rest of Jack's friends.

"Oh, you're gonna attack me?" Pitch grinned, holding up his hands as black sand swirled around him. "Such a wild thing to try, Mr Frost. There's a reason I'm the most successful person in the world you kn-"

"Shut up."

Everyone watched with wide eyes and dropped jaws as Jack's staff connected with Pitch's head and threw him several feet into the air.

After a few seconds of struggling, Pitch sat up and touched his head, eyes widening in anger when he felt blood. "Why you little-!"

He stopped when he saw the sight before him, fear creeping into his own veins as Jack floated towards him, the air around him cackling with ice that looked like electric sparks. But what scared not just Pitch but everyone watching was the wide-eyed blank expression on Jack's face, his eyes glowing and devoid of his blue iris or pupil.

"Do you know the only reason why you won't be killed tonight, Pitch?" Jack asked, voice calm yet deadly.

Gaining a little confidence that he won't be killed, Pitch smirked as he stood up, "Because you're not so evil that you'd kill a person."

"Wrong," Jack replied, tilting his head in a psychotic way as he answered, "it's because my sister wouldn't want someone killed on her behalf."

"Wow," Pitch snarked, conjuring up a huge army of Nightmares, "so merciful."

With a roar, he made at least ten of his creations attack Jack. But he was surprised and shocked yet again when they all froze and disappeared into nothingness with just a sweep of Jack's staff.

Not wanting to admit defeat, Pitch sent his entire army towards Jack and gleefully watched as a huge wave of black sand and glowing golden eyes covered the sky and headed towards Jack.

He was completely blocked, so much that no one could even see the centre of the attack. Pitch grinned in happiness, throwing his hands up and laughing maniacally.

"What are you laughing about?"

His entire demeanor changed when he heard a cold voice behind him, shivers running throughout his entire body as he turned around. Before he could even see the person, a hand clamped around his neck and started squeezing, sucking out every little bit of air inside his body. Arms grabbing at the single hand holding him and lifting him into the air, Pitch managed to glance down and saw Jack having the same blank look at before, eyes glowing more and more as the power increased in his grasp.

"When did you-?!" He gasped out, kicking at empty space as he tried to get some sort of control over his body and powers.

As an answer to his question, Jack turned him around and continued squeezing his neck from behind him, allowing him to see his Nightmare wave.

Pitch noticed with dread as a blue beam of light poked out from the centre of the Nightmare attack, growing in size and intensity as more light seeped through the gaps. And within seconds, every Nightmare within a 100 meter range completely froze and exploded into black sand mixed with ice.

When the sand and dust cleared away, Pitch's gut dropped when he saw Elsa floating between all the ice, her own eyes glowing and face scrunched up in concentration. She sweeped her hands and spun in the air, exploding the rest of the Nightmares in one move.

Pitch was turned around again and he truly feared for his life that moment when he saw Jack's face, still the same glowing eyes except this time, his eyebrows were furrowed in anger as he spoke, "You've hurt those who mean the most to me. Now it's your turn."

He let go of Pitch who fell to the floor and took huge gasps of breath. But he didn't get long to regain his breath and summon his powers because soon enough, the cold touch of winter and ice raced through his bones and Pitch writhed on the floor as he felt the temperature of his blood and body drop.

He screamed in agony as his legs and fingertips completely froze up and the ice slowly and painfully claimed more of his body. Letting go of his pride and ego, he begged for mercy and continued screaming as the ice travelled closer and closer to his heart and head.

This went on for long enough that even people who weren't on Pitch's side started feeling uncomfortable.

Just when everyone thought that Pitch was done for, they sensed movement and saw Elsa floating next to Jack before placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Let him go, Jack," she muttered.

The winds stopped blowing around them as Jack tilted his head in confusion.

"He hurt her, Snowflake." He whispered, hand reaching up to stroked her cheek, "he hurt _you_."

"I know, Jackson," Elsa reached up and held his hand, looking at him pleadingly, "but neither of us want him to die."

Jack turned around and looked at Pitch, who's body was freezing at a much slower pace, while he considered if he was worth living or not.

"Jack," Elsa whispered closer to his ear, "you're scaring your sister."

That gained his attention as Jack looked around in search of his sister, and found her huddled close to Flynn's arms, shivering in the cold. Flynn was trying his best to keep her warm but the small girl could care less about herself as she watched her brother with eyes wide with fear.

That sight along with the reminder that he was the cause of her fear, Jack's mind cleared out and he finally regained control over his powers, his glowing eyes finally replaced with his normal ones.

He stopped the spread of ice in Pitch's body, exhaustion hitting him in the face after overuse of his powers. His own fingers and legs were coated with frost and he couldn't help but shiver as he truly felt cold for the first time in his life.

Stopping his powers all at once also resulted in him losing his control over the wind so it was no surprise to him when he went crashing towards the ground. Thankfully for him, Elsa caught him just in time and carried him to the others bridal-style.

Her own body temperature, which was a lot colder than that of a common person but still warm enough for someone of Jack's temperature, brought a certain sense of security and comfort to him. He closed his eyes and snuggled closer to her, wanting to stay in her embrace forever.

At a distance, he could hear the cops carrying the half-frozen Pitch away on a stretcher and he peeked an eye open to see Manny making sure that the bastard had no way of escaping.

"Is she okay?" Jack muttered, too tired to lift his own head to check on his sister.

"Yup, she's not freezing anymore and she seems to have calmed down." Elsa answered.

Once they finally touched the ground, North, Bunny and Rapunzel rushed forward to help him. But just as Elsa held out her arms to give Jack over to them, Jack grunted in protest and cuddled closer to her, wrapping his arms around her and refusing to let go.

"Jack you need to go," Elsa spoke as if scolding a toddler, "you can't stick with me the whole time! My body is cold and that's gonna worsen your condition!"

"No it won't!" Jack protested, hissing and trying to jump away when Bunny tried offering him a heat pack, "I feel like I'm gonna fall sick if I touch anything hot or cold and your body is the perfect temperature! You're not warm but you're not so cold that you'd freeze me as well! See, my body has already calmed down pretty well by staying stuck to you."

They all just stared at him, trying to make sense of his words until Bunny sighed, "Are you sure you're not making up excuses to finally cuddle your girlfriend, mate?"

"Nope. That's just a bonus," Jack replied sleepily, already falling asleep.

"Okay, even if your explanation kinda made sense, I can't just carry you around the whole day! Even I'm tired!" Elsa sighed.

"Then take me to bed."

Four sets of coughs and a few whoops from the back erupted at his suggestion, and Elsa tried her hardest not to blush before she muttered, "Even when you're sleepy you don't have control over what comes out of your mouth, huh?"

"Only around you," Jack mumbled.

Just as he finally relaxed and was about to completely doze off, loud sounds of gunshots erupted in the distance and all of them stiffened. Jack forced his eyes open and saw Pitch flying towards them like a maniac, a much bigger wave of Nightmares following him.

Jack tried his absolute best to move but couldn't even lift a finger. He watched as Elsa gripped him tighter and stood behind North and Bunny to protect him.

"I'm not leaving this place without killing you both!" Pitch roared, huge whirlwinds of black sand floating over his hands.

Helpless, Jack could do nothing but watch as Pitch got closer and closer. So of courses that's when something no one expected happened.

Despite the Nightmares rushing toward them, everyone glanced up at the sky when they heard a comical car horn above them and saw a golden aeroplane make its way towards Jack and the others who were at the front of the group. Even the Nightmares paused as the short and golden Sandy floated our of his aeroplane before removing his goggles.

He took one look around at everything happened and rolled his eyes at Pitch, who was frozen in shock.

"No, it's can't be..." Pitch literally stated backing away in fear, eyes wide as he stared at the man made of golden sand. "You can't possibly be _The_ Sandman..."

Sandy smiled at him and formed a bowler hat before tipping it. The hat vanished right away and with a smirk, Sandy conjured up two long golden whips.

Before Pitch could even react, Sandy spun in the air, his sand whips spinning around him in a wide circle. He didn't even harm or destroy the Nightmares. Instead, the minute the golden sand touched the black horses, they converted into various animals and birds of golden sand, filling the dark sky with light again. Within seconds, all the Nightmares had been converted and were now flying across the stadium, playing with the audience and the children.

"Wow," Elsa blinked, trying not to drop Jack in favour of getting to touch the goldfish made of golden sand flying around her, "it took two of us at maximum power to throw Pitch overboard but Sandy didn't even sweat while dealing with the fucker..."

"Sandy doesn't show it out but he is most definitely one of the strongest ability wielders out there," Jack spoke as he watched in wonder. A huge ray fish floated over him, sprinkling golden sand over all of them that put them at ease. He was impressed yet again when Sandy easily tied up Pitch with his sand and punched him across the face, effectively knocking him out.

To ensure he doesn't escape again, Sandy tied his entire body to a stretcher and assured the police that he won't be able to move for at least five more days.

"One minute, officers," Elsa called out, jogging to reach them, "we need to remove any remains of ice from his body. It might not be too dangerous but one can never tell when it comes to magical ice."

The officers nodded and allowed Elsa to go closer to the unconscious Pitch with Jack in her arms.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" She asked him as she gestured to Pitch with her eyes, "remove your ice from him."

"No can do, Snowflake. I am completely and utterly beaten and I don't think I'm gonna have control over my powers any time soon." Jack sighed.

Elsa stared at Jack and then at Pitch, uncertain on what to do next. She knew Jack's and her ice cannot be controlled by the other but for some unknown reason, a part of her conscience told her to try controlling his ice just one more time.

Hence, Elsa closed her eyes and concentrated on Pitch's body. Once she sensed the remnants of Jack's powers in his blood and body, Elsa took a deep breath before focussing on removing the ice and disintegrating it.

A gasp of surprise broke out of Jack's lips, which caused Elsa's eyes to open. She almost stepped back and dropped Jack in shock when she saw the tiny ice particles now floating right over Pitch's body. She glanced at Jack questioningly, to which he shook his head to signify that he wasn't the one controlling it.

"Holy shit, I can control your ice." Elsa breathed out.

"Wait, does that mean I can control yours too?" Jack asked.

"That might be the case." Spoke a voice from behind them.

Elsa turned around while still carrying Jack, only to meet with Manny who walked toward them gracefully.

"Good race, Jack," he nodded to the racer, before giving him a deadpan stare, "though you did almost induce several cardiac arrests by your free nature."

"Sorry not sorry," Jack shrugged and returned back to their previous topic, "why are we suddenly able to control each other's powers when we couldn't do it before?"

"I think the key factor here were your emotions and feelings," Manny glanced at Elsa's face which was turned away from him before he continued, "both of your powers are controlled by your emotions. The previous times when you tried to control the other person's ice, you very obviously didn't like each other. But that doesn't seem to be the case anymore."

"Oh, so that's how it is," Jack nodded, finally understanding the concept.

They stood in awkward silence for a few seconds until Elsa turned away, "excuse me, we need to go."

She walked away with Jack still comfortably nestled in her arms. He glanced back and caught Manny's heartbroken face before whispering to Elsa as he bit back a yawn, "So, when are you both going to talk?"

"Any time that is not now," Elsa grunted, exhaustion evident in her voice as she looked around to find someplace where they could rest.

The entire track was crowded with police, the press, people from the racers' agencies and the audience who were trying to take photos or get autographs from the racers, which seemed pointless since Dash and Hiccup had been hurried away to the hospital, Jack was now fast asleep and no one seemed to be searching for Hans.

Deciding that it would be better if she asked someone from Jack's agency, she turned and looked for anyone until her gaze landed on North.

"Hey, um, Mr North?" She called out hesitantly, approaching him from the back.

North turned around and greeted her with a warm smile, "Hello Ms Winters. So glad to finally talk to you without any imminent danger. With everything going on, I didn't have a chance to thank you properly. As the CEO of The Guardians and Jack and Emma's godfather, I thank you for all of your help from the bottom of my heart." He bowed deeply.

If Elsa hadn't liked him from the minute he gave her that sweet grandfather-ly smile, she definitely loved him for his sweetness on top of being jolly most of the time. With a smile, she shook her head lightly and bowed as much as she could without dropping Jack, "Oh no, please dont bow your head. I should be the one thanking you for helping and raising Jack all these years."

North gave her an even sweeter smile, his eyes crinkling with a twinkle in them as he spoke, "You really are the kindest, Ms Winters. I can see why Jack fell in love with you."

As if he was listening to them, Jack mumbled something in his sleep before burying his face in her neck. Elsa turned red at the compliment and at Jack's actions, but she thanked North nonetheless.

"Mr North-"

"Please, just North is fine. You are part of our family already."

Elsa smiled, heart melting at his loving nature as she continued, "Okay, North. But only if you call me Elsa as well." She grinned when North nodded his head along with a deep chuckle. "I was just wondering if there's any place I can put this big baby down and get some rest as well. It has been a long day after all."

North nodded in understanding and led her to a bus with the huge Guardians' symbol -a crystal- painted on it.

"This is Jack's tour bus. We'll be leaving soon enough once Bunny and Sandy check everything one last time so please do go ahead and rest. We'll wake you up once we reach our hotel." North informed as he opened the door for her.

 _You_ _guys_ _have_ _a_ _hotel_ _?!_ Elsa pushed away her thoughts and instead decided to ask the more important question, "Thank you so much, North. But what about my family?"

"Not to worry, they'll be travelling with the rest of us. Everyone, including Jack and the rest of us at the Guardians will also be joining you at the hotel. Once at the hotel, a doctor can check up on those injured, just to make sure they're okay since Ms Corona already healed everyone. I'm sure we can discuss the other details once everyone is well rested."

Elsa nodded gratefully and after thanking him once again, she got inside the bus.

"I do have to apologize, Elsa," North started, as he peeked into the bus with a poorly concealed knowing-smile, "there's just one bed in there, since Jack liked travelling alone."

Elsa turned red again and looked around, spotting a chaise lounge next to a wide window. "Oh, its okay. I can settle Jack on the bed and take the chaise."

North nodded, muttering something that sounded like 'I doubt he'd let you do that' as he closed the door. Elsa, obviously having heard his words, just walked over to the bed with a bright blush on her face as she leaned down and gently placed Jack on the bed.

To her luck, Jack relaxed and settled comfortable in the bed, but caught onto her hand. With a sigh, Elsa tried to pry his fingers off her wrist as gently as possible but ended up stirring him awake.

"Go back to sleep, Jack," Elsa muttered softly as she parted his fingers, hoping he'd realise what he was doing and would let her go.

But instead of letting go, Jack tugged her insistently, looking at her with barely opened eyes. "Come'ere" he mumbled, opening his arms for her to settle in.

Elsa just stared at him with tired eyes, seriously contemplating if she should go to the chaise or just sleep next to Jack. She glanced at the chaise and back at then the bed, which looked far more tempting and softer, and Jack was looking like he really wanted a cuddle so who was she to refuse?

She got on the bed and sighed as her muscles finally relaxed. Jack wasted no time and quickly wrapped himself around her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her neck. Elsa hummed in appreciation as her own hands rested around his shoulders and in his hair.

With one last content sigh, the two of them drifted off, feeling content and secure for the first time in a long while.


	26. Epilogue 1

"Yeah, see you later."

Elsa smiled as she closed the door of the meeting room before releasing a deep sigh. She took slow and tired steps to the elevator and pressed the familiar button, rubbing her face in exhaustion as she bit back another yawn.

Two entire days of resting and doing absolutely nothing STILL didn't rid the fatigue in her bones and no amount of stretching relived the pain in her muscles. She looked at herself in the elevator mirror and noticed her haywire hair and the bags under her eyes.

She had tried to make herself as presentable as possible for the meeting between her Ice Rink family and the Guardians; but seeing Anna and Rapunzel come to accompany her to the meeting room looking like recently-risen zombies dampened Elsa's determination as well. She thought she looked pretty decent when she had left her room in the morning but now that she actually took a closer look, she looked like she had pulled several all nighters at work without a wink of sleep.

Sighing, she stepped out of the elevator and opened the door of her room.

Inside, lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling was Jack Frost, the most beloved Race of Rapidity racer of all time aka her boyfriend of the past two days. He turned his head towards her and gave a tired smile, opening his arms wide for her while not rising from the bed.

Elsa dropped into his embrace, humming in approval as he wrapped his arms around her. She buried her nose in his neck and threw her leg over him, sighing in content as her body finally relaxed.

"How did it go?" Jack mumbled, busy nuzzling into her hair.

"Mmhm, nothing special." She settled her head a little away from him so that she could talk comfortably, "North announced that everyone from the Guardians will be back to work from tomorrow except Tooth and Sandy who will be helping us out here. Bunny and North will be busy with running the company so they'll only be coming here during the nights and then leaving for work as usual.

"And both North and Manny decided that it would be better that those of us from the rink who came and helped here should stay for at least a week more, until we're completely rid of the aftereffects of overusing our quirks."

"So you'll be here for a week more?" Jack grinned, rolling and partially lying on her before nuzzling into her neck, "Nice."

"Not so fast, Frost," Elsa chuckled, leaning away so that she could look at him as she said, "You were repeatedly healed by Punzie during the race so you'll be recovering way faster than all of us. _So_ you're gonna be attending interviews regarding the race in two days time."

"Oh come on," Jack whined, shuffling closer as he pinned her under him with his weight, "I wanna cuddle with you for at least a month!"

"Yeah, sorry to inform you but you're gonna be busy," she smirked.

Jack just grumbled and remained silent after, both of them basking in the silence and in each other's presence.

"So how's Emma?" She asked, gently and slowly weaving her hands through his hair.

Jack hummed and settled more comfortably before answering, "She's recovering well and we spoke the whole morning. I apologized properly and she forgave me for being a douche these past years, and then we just sat and spoke about a few of our memories." His fond smile slowly turned into a pensive line as he continued, "She still is traumatized by everything that happened with Pitch so I told her that I'll ask Sandy to introduce her to a nice therapist. She didn't want to go to therapy at first but she understood that it would be better for her."

"Yeah, that would be for the best," Elsa pressed a kiss on his forehead comfortingly before sighing, "Maybe we all should attend a few sessions. I know Manny and I definitely need a few."

"Oh yeah, what happened with that particular conversation?" Jack asked, leaning back to look at her properly, "did you both speak about it or did it end in another fight?"

Elsa sighed, playing with the end of her braid as she replied, "He apologized and explained why he'd been so pissed at me all this time. I told him that if he'd bothered to speak with me instead of ignoring me, I would've won the final race and we would have got our justice soon enough. I mean-" she huffed and sat up straight, finally letting out the frustrations she had bottled up all this time, "-I understand that I had a role to play in my parents death. If I had not been a racer or in Pitch's company being his no. 1 annoyance, then they probably would still be alive! I know that! But-!"

"Elsa Winters you are in no way the reason for your parents' death!" Jack sat up as well, holding her hands as he stated, "You were a young girl well on her way of accomplishing her dreams. It was Pitch who decided to kill your parents in order to make you lose the race! So you are not the reason and had no role in their deaths whatsoever!"

Elsa just stared at his face, conflict evident in her expression before she sighed and looked down, holding onto his hands tightly.

Seeing her desolate face, Jack sighed and let go of her hands, "Come here, you," he mumbled and gathered her in his arms, letting her wrap her legs around his waist as she sat on his lap and hugged him tight.

After a few seconds of silence, Jack finally asked, "So what happened after?"

Elsa sighed again before replying, "I told him all the reasons why his hatred was completely irrational 'cause ultimately, Pitch was the one at fault. He told me that he had realised that just a few days back when a certain someone," she pulled back and looked him in the eye, "beat it into his head that a grieving young girl couldn't have possibly figured out why she had to win the race."

"Oh yeah," Jack grinned sheepishly, remembering his conversation with Manny that prompted the man to get rid of him by calling the paparazzi on him. "I overhead him talking to Tooth and forced him to tell me everything."

Elsa just stared at him in disbelief until acceptance washed over her face and she laid back down, pulling him down with her.

"Speaking of which," Jack continued, "who knew that Manny was the one who created Guardians Inc. huh?"

"I did, well, sorta," Elsa admitted, eyes still closed as she tried to relax, "He had always wanted to be a racer but when none of the companies accepted him because he wasn't that fast, he offered to train the kids from North's orphanage, or at least those who wanted to but couldn't afford the usual procedure of attending the academy or joining a training company. He also worked as a professor at our academy which is where he met my dad for the first time, way before I was born.

"He appointed North CEO of the training branch when he started training me and completely quit both of his jobs after my failure; after which he started investigating about my parents' deaths. I knew he trained kids from an orphanage and that he was a good coach back when I was young but I didn't know that he had ambitions of being a racer or that his company was the same one you worked for."

"What a small world," Jack mumbled, and then remembered what they had initially been talking about, "so what now? You forgave him and all is well?"

Elsa hesitated to answer but didn't hide anything from him, "Call me selfish if you want but I couldn't bring myself to forgive him completely. I've told him that I accept that he's made mistakes but I was too hurt to just let it all go. So for now, he is on probation and eventually, I might forgive him and accept him as my godfather again."

"That's not selfish at all, Snowflake," Jack smiled before kissing her on her forehead, "I'm so proud of you."

Elsa smiled and turned pink at the praise, pressing a light kiss on his lips in gratitude.

"So when are you going to visit Jamie?" She asked, knowing how worried he had been even after knowing that Jamie was well and good at the hospital, thanks to Rapunzel who had paid him a visit at the hospital on the way back from the stadium to the hotel.

"Tomorrow, first thing in the morning. I've tried to sneak out so many times already but I either ended up fainting or Bunny and Sandy caught me," Jack sulked, remembering his multiple failures in just the past two days.

"Well... if you had asked your smart girlfriend's help, you wouldn't have fucked up so much," Elsa smirked, obviously joking.

"Yeah, I should've probably done that. We make a good team," Jack smiled back and bopped her nose, both of them giggling softly as they settled back into bed. A few moments passed as they laid in the comfort of the other's presence until Jack sighed and tightened his grasp around her.

"You're not completely leaving after a week, are you?" He asked, unable to hold back the frown that slowly crept onto his face. "The past week without you has been hell, Snowflake, and I dont think I can remain sane if you leave again."

Elsa sighed as well, weaving her fingers through his silky hair as she contemplated her answer. "I wish I could stay with you as well, Jack. I wish I could just throw you into a suitcase and take you back home-"

"I'm not objecting to that."

"-but we both know that I can't stay here and you can't come back to the rink as well. We both have duties and responsibilities in our respective lives. I still need to be working for the expenses of the Rink and continue running it as well because Manny's gonna be busy with suing Pitch. On the other hand you need to attend your interviews and all the other activities as a Race of Rapidity finalist and you also have to take care of Emma. We just- can't live together anymore..." Elsa unconsciously tightened her arms around him, which Jack reciprocated.

He carefully thought about his next few words before deciding that she'd prefer it much more if he stayed completely honest with her and asked, "Are you sure you dont want to come back to racing?"

Elsa remained silent for some time before she replied, "Nah. I love racing and it was my passion, but from the very beginning, my interest had always been about magical abilities and such, not just racing, you know. Who knows, now that I'm slowly recovering from purposely not using my powers, I might start racing some day in the future. Heck, I might even end up racing again if you manage to break my record!"

"Is that a challenge, Ms Winters?" Jack smirked, leaning close to her face.

"That's a promise, Mr Frost," Elsa winked and smirked, sealing the promise with a kiss on his forehead.

Jack smiled before capturing her lips in his, humming in glee as Elsa kissed him back. The kiss didn't last long as Elsa pulled back to kiss him on the nose. But Jack didn't seem to think that was enough as he pressed closer, lips seeking hers more insistently.

Elsa resisted and teased him for a few seconds but finally gave in, her hands running through his hair as Jack's rested around her waist.

Daring to be a bit bolder, Jack bit her bottom lip and poked it with his tongue. Elsa gasped in surprise, which gave him an easy entrance into her mouth. He happily swallowed her moans, letting out a few of his own, pulling back only when Elsa slid her leg up his.

While Jack was surprised at her uncharacteristic move, Elsa just smirked before pulling him down by the collar. They continued making out for quite some time, both of them finally releasing and savouring their desire to touch each other after two and a half days of being too tired to do anything.

Their kisses weren't limited to just their lips or cheeks. While Elsa tried to catch her breath, Jack slid down, pressing chaste kisses down her throat. He sucked on her skin where her neck met her shoulder, eliciting gasps and moans from her which just turned him on even more.

He rolled to her other side and wrapped his arms around her from behind her, effectively pinning her to his body before pressing an open mouthed kiss right over her snowflake tattoo and sucked on the skin. Elsa gasped loudly but let him do what he wanted, trying not to writhe in pleasure. When he was done, she rolled over to face him, heart skipping another beat at his smug grin and hungry look in his eyes.

Deciding that two can play this game, Elsa straddled his body, pinned his hands to the bed and towered over him before leaning to his ear as she whispered, "my turn."

Satisfied at the sight of Jack actually shivering under her breath, she leaned forward and stopped just over his lips. She smirked when she saw Jack's eyebrow twitch in annoyance. Just as he moved his head up to connect their lips, Elsa quickly moved to the side and pressed a deep kiss right under his ear.

Pleasure coursed through his entire body as Jack gasped. He quickly switched their positions and smashed their lips together hungrily, hand trailing down to tease her skin at the waistband of her pant. Elsa gulped in arousal and decided to surprise him back by trailing her hand up his abs, satisfied at his surprised grunt.

But before they could continue, the room door opened with a loud bang. Elsa yelped and threw Jack off of her, turning and seeing Flynn standing at the door with one hand on the doorknob and the other on his mouth as he realised just what he had interrupted.

"Oh my gAWD," Flynn screeched, running out of the door as he yelled, "BLONDIE YOU NEED TO SEE THIS!"

"FLYNN FUCKIN RIDER I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU UTTER A WORD-!" Elsa ran out of the door, all her previous tiredness and arousal forgotten as she chased after her cousin's husband.

"One of these day," Jack, still lying flat on the floor, huffed before muttering, "I'm gonna kill him and I'm gonna enjoy doing it."

"What did he do this time?"

Jack lifted his head off the floor from behind the bed and saw Merida standing outside the door with Emma by her side. He forced himself to rise and walked out, fixing his shirt as he met with the redhead and his sister.

"What he's been doing from when I first tried kissing Elsa," he deadpanned, staring down the corridor where Elsa had trapped Flynn in ice covering half his body as she threatened him. "What did y'all come for?" He asked, turning to Merida and Emma.

"Well, old man Moon just left the hotel, telling that he's gonna get started with suing Pitch for, well, everything. Mistreatment of trainees in the company, accepting bribe from the Westerguards, plotting Elsa's failure, killing her parents, every single case he has avoided using his money, kidnapping relatives of the racers and threatening them to lose, hiring his own workers in the race's committee and controlling the race, intentionally targeting the racers during the races and also for attacking you and Elsa after the race." She was breathless by the end, taking deep breaths to regain her normal breathing pattern.

Jack just stared at her in disbelief until a whistle and an impressed "wow" escaped his lips.

"You know what this means, right?" Merida asked.

Seeing his clueless face, she just shook her head in exasperation before answering, "When the case is started at the court, all of you including Elsa, Emma and Flynn will have to attend as eye witnesses and victims. And you'll also have to talk about things even if you don't want to," she stated softly, placing a hand on Emma's shoulder.

Jack looked at his sister in worry as well. Despite her obvious fear, Emma gave them a brave smile as she placed a hand on Merida's, "It's okay. If it means that that asshole will end up in jail, I'll be okay to tell the story to the judge."

Pride filled Jack's heart as he smiled at her until he gasped dramatically and began poking her forehead, "Watch your mouth young lady! Who the hell taught you such disgraceful words?!"

Emma pushed his hand away and poked her tongue out, giggling when her brother did the same. She soon screamed and started running away when Jack started to chase her.

Elsa watched them with a smile, trying not to think too hard about what she'd heard Merida say. Her attention was stolen by her whining brother in law, who was complaining that he was definitely getting hypothermia because of her. Rolling her eyes, she released him from her Ice right as Anna and Rapunzel ran out of the elevator, looking like they were in a hurry.

"Jack! Jaaacckk! You need to watch this right now!" They grabbed him and ran to the elevator, signalling everyone else to join them as well. They all piled into the small space, confused about what might have happened.

They got their answer soon enough when they reached the lobby where everyone else was gathered around the television. The Race of Rapidity's official channel was playing and they all understood what this was about.

"- _And there you have it folks, those were the final reports regarding the incident at the race of the Tachyons Cup. And now-" The host of the show started as he pulled out a cue card. "-the announcement we all have been waiting for! Who is the true winner of this year's Race of Rapidity?!_ "

Jack's heart skipped a beat, hand instantly seeking Elsa's as he saw clips of all four racers played on the screen.

" _As we all know, the first one to cross the line this year was Hans Westerguard, finally gaining his third victory; a feat that has been achieved only by one other person in the entire history of the Race of Rapidity, who is none other than Elsa Winters, the Snow Queen! So since he crossed the line first, he is obviously the winner right?"_ The host paused, looking at the camera with a pointed look. " _But apparently, the people don't think so!"_

"Say what?" Jack blinked, hope slowly filling into his heart.

" _As we all know, it has been discovered that an immense amount of illegal manipulation of the race has taken place, and the Race's Board has been taking several measures to solve this problem. It has also been found that Mr Hans Westerguard and his sponsor Nightmare Inc have been well involved in these activities._

_"And hence, taking into account the number of charges that have been filed against Mr Westerguard and Nightmares Inc, the Race of Rapidity Board has declared that Hans Westerguard is banned from the Race of Rapidity and so is Nightmares Inc.!"_

"What?!" Elsa and Jack yelled, eyes wide and jaws dropped as they stared at the screen. Everyone around them cheered loudly whereas Anna and Emma hugged their respective siblings in joy.

" _But there's more!_ " The host gained everyone's attention again as he continued, " _Since Hans is now out of the question, who IS the true winner of the Race? After plenty of discussion and taking their level of participation in account, Dash Parr, despite being the bravest and youngest racer ever, is unfortunately not qualified for the title, as he was out of commission before he could complete his race. That leaves us with two, very interesting options. Will the winner be Hiccup Haddock, one of the most compassionate racers we've ever seen, or Jack Frost, the racer to have gained the most love and affection from the audience_?"

A hint of nervousness seeped into Jack's heart but strangely, he felt calm.

" _This was hard to decide, since the two racers walked the line together in the most heartwarming show of sportsmanship in the history of the Race of Rapidity, that left quite a lot of us in tears. But after scrutinizing the video clips for a long time, it was discovered that despite both of them walking together, one of them did step past the line before the other. And hence, we decided that this person should be named as the winner of this year's Race of Rapidity. So who is it? Is it the loving Hiccup Haddock or the dashing Jack Frost?"_

"Oh, get on with it already!" Anna hissed, voicing out everyone's frustration.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, the winner of the Race of Rapidity_ ," the host yelled cheerfully, grinning as he stepped aside to show the big screen behind him, " _Hiccup Haddock!_ "

Everyone present in the lobby went silent as the show played the clips in slow motion, in which it was pretty obvious that Hiccup, who had been struggling to walk with just one leg, stepped on the white line just milliseconds before Jack's foot touched the line.

Few of them present including Merida, Flynn, Bunny and North started yelling in outrage whereas the others looked at Jack in concern.

A hand gripped his shoulder and Jack looked at Elsa who stood in front of him along with his sister.

Seeing the clip of Hiccup and him cross the line one more time, a sense of calm washed over Jack as he gave them a small smile. He was a little disappointed, for sure, but strangely, he was okay with the results.

He assured them that he was okay, but that just increased the worry in their eyes.

"Jack, it's okay to be disappointed," Emma offered, hand reaching out to hold his.

Jack squeezed her hand reassuringly and gave her a smile as he replied, "I know, Em. But I really am okay," he looked back at the screen where Hiccup's smiling face was displayed, "He deserves the victory."

They just stared at him as if trying to see if he was genuinely fine until Elsa smiled at him and stroked his cheek.

"You really have come a long way from the man I met on the day you crashed our rink, Mr Frost," she whispered, eyes gleaming with pride.

Jack grinned back and accepted her hug, sqeezing her tightly with one arm while the other still held onto his sister's hand.

" _But_ ," the host suddenly jumped back into the screen, looking more excited about what he was about to say, " _there rose a problem with this_."

This caught everyone's attention and suddenly, there was absolute silence in the lobby.

" _We sent an email to Mr Haddock's team, requesting his presence today for the traditional interview of the winner of the Race of Rapidity. But surprisingly, instead of an email confirming his attendance, we instead got a request for a video conference with the entire Board. We of course thought it was unnecessary, until we were told that Hiccup Haddock does not intend on accepting the title."_

"He said _what_?!" Jack blinked in shock.

" _As per their request, a conference was held, wherein Hiccup Haddock explained his reasons. He pointed out that truthfully speaking, none of this extra deliberation would have taken place if Jack Frost had crossed the line when he had the chance. But, he threw away his ticket of eternal fame and glory, and chose to instead help a friend, a fellow racer out when they couldn't finish the race themselves._

_"Isn't the Race actually conducted to find out and honour those with immense control over powers and also quick wit and compassion, not just someone who is able to cross a line before others? Isn't Jack the reason Hiccup even got to finish the race in the first place? It would be a shame to honour the helped without giving any appreciation to the helper whose kindness and good intentions were the only reason for Hiccup's victory."_

Jack facepalmed, muttering to himself, "Hiccup you _idiot_."

" _This certainly moved the hearts of everyone present. There's also the fact that in all the mails we had received from the audience, the majority requested for Jack to be named as the winner. So basically, Hiccup Haddack is technically the winner of the race while Jack Frost became the winner of our hearts_." The host placed his hand on his heart for extra measure.

"Hmm, Jack Frost, winner of hearts, huh?" Elsa smirked, nudging him teasingly.

"The only heart I wanted is already mine though," Jack pecked her cheek, grinning at the way her cheeks flushed.

" _But by the end of the day, a race is still a race_ ," the host's mood dampened as he continued, " _and we can't just name whomever we like to be the winner. And hence, the Board and Mr Hiccup Haddock finally came to an agreement, by which the title of the winner and the cup would go to Mr Haddock whereas the cash prize and additional prize of this year's race, the huge mansion popularly known as the Glacial Haven surrounded by hundreds of acres of land, would be given to Jack Frost!"_

Surprised by the unexpected outcome, those in the lobby took some time to process the information, until everyone broke out in applause. Congratulations were showered on Jack, who still looked pretty shocked. He accepted their wishes in gratitude, grinning widely as Emma jumped on him to give him a big hug.

Once everyone was done showing their happiness for him, North decided that it was about time they arranged a celebratory party. But taking into consideration how most of the VIP's of the day were still half dead and that Jack's interviews start in two more days, the party was set for the next day, for which everyone showed their gratitude.

Bunny and North took their leave, already starting with the party arrangements and invitations that they had to send to all the Guardians staff and to Hiccup and Dash's teams.

The rest of the gang decided to hang out together in one of the bigger rooms, recounting past stories and sharing laughter as they were too tired to either go out somewhere or to play any games inside.

Nighttime eventually rolled in and after a hearty dinner filled with banter and laughs, everyone made way to their rooms after congratulating Jack once again. Jack and Elsa were the last to leave the dinner room, flopping into bed together as exhaustion finally rid them of any extra energy.

Elsa kept her eyes on Jack's peaceful face, until he asked her what was wrong to which she replied, "Nothing's wrong, I just-" she paused, raising her hands to stroke his cheeks before she smiled, "I'm so very proud of you Jack."

Jack smiled back, taking one of her hands in his before placing a kiss on her palm. He leaned close and rested his forehead against her cool one, letting the coldness calm him down as he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too," Elsa bit back a smile.

They shared a long but sweet kiss before Elsa finally drifted off to sleep.

But Jack couldn't fall asleep. An idea had been forming in his head ever since the results of the race had been revealed and he didn't think he'd get any sleep if he didn't reveal this idea to a certain someone right away.

Leaning over, he picked up his phone and searched the contact. The call rang a few times until the person finally answered.

" _Hey_ _Jackie_ _boy_ _._ " Hiccup's cracked yet teasing voice brought a smile to Jack's face and he couldn't help but snicker. "How'd you get my number, huh? Are you stalking me?"

"Thats not important right now because you, mister, are a complete _dumbass_."

" _Aw_ _,_ _thanks_ _for_ _the_ _compliment_ _Frost_ _."_

"That was anything far from a compliment, you dumbfuck. By the way, I'm pretty sure you know why I've called."

_"_ _If_ _it_ _is_ _to_ _tell_ _me_ _that_ _you_ _dont_ _want_ _the_ _money_ _and_ _the_ _mansion_ _,_ _I'm_ _hanging_ _up_ _."_

"Well, I am actually very tempted to tell that. But if you are really sure about me getting the money-"

_"_ _I_ _am_ _a_ _thousand_ _percent_ _sure_ _and_ _nothing_ _you_ _tell_ _is_ _gonna_ _change_ _that_ _."_

"...wow, okay then. That makes this easier for me then." Jack took a deep breath before stating, "Haddock, I have something to propose."

" _Dude I'm already married and have a baby girl coming soon like can you believe that?! My wife is amazing! So yeah, I'm too loyal to Milady to even consider your proposal bruh."_

"Dont worry, I have a loving and fantastic girlfriend so I'd never settle for you even if my life depended on it."

" _Okay asshole, so whats this about?"_

Jack glanced down to the angel fast asleep in his arms and tucked away a strand of her hair behind her ear before continuing.

"A plan on what I wish to do with the money and the mansion, and I think it could benefit both The Guardians and the Berk Association."

_"_ _I'm_ _all_ _ears_ _,_ _Frost_ _..."_


	27. Epilogue 2

"Are you sure you wanna wear _that_ , Elsie?" Anna asked, an eyebrow raised as she stared at Elsa's dress disapprovingly.

Elsa's eyes narrowed, offended by her sister's comment as she stood in front of the full-body mirror. A form-fitting sleek black dress hugged her body and accentuated her curves and Elsa really liked the lace sleeves that covered the entire length of her arms upto her wrist. "Why, whats wrong with this one?"

"My dearest sister, may I remind you that it has a huge fuckin window at the back stretching from the top of your shoulder blades to the starting point of your butt crack," Anna deadpanned. "And if that isn't enough, the slit literally comes almost all the way to your hips! We're choosing a dress for Jack's celebratory party, not for your honeymoon! One look at your creamy back and your boyfriend's gonna be horny all night!"

"Anna, please! We're at a store!" Elsa hissed, cheeks flushed as her eyes darted to few of the women who turned their heads.

As Anna huffed and returned to the aisles in search of another dress, Elsa looked back at the mirror. This definitely wasn't the first time she wore any revealing clothes and she knew Anna's words had at least a little bit of truth in them; the last time she wore a summer dress that was way shorter than any dress she's ever worn, Jack refused to leave her alone all day and Flynn caught them making out in the backyard. 

Despite having been a happy couple for the past four years, Jack _still_ managed to make her weak at the knees and she knew he also had a hard time keeping his hands away. Their busy schedules allowed very little time for them to actually enjoy their time together but when they did, Jack always made sure to make it a memorable time.

Glancing over her figure one last time, Elsa decided to buy it but save it for some other time. She changed into her normal clothes and stepped out of the changing room, joining her sister in searching for a proper dress.

"What about you, Anna?" She asked, placing back another dress in the rack. "Is your dress ready yet?"

Anna hummed from two aisles away, walking towards her with few dresses in hand as she patted her swollen belly. "Can't be wearing any ready-made clothes with the little one in here. So I had a friend of mine stitch one for me and I've already brought it to your penthouse. I _am_ happy with the dress but Punzie looked sad that _she_ couldn't do it for me."

"Of course she couldn't," Elsa took the clothes from her sister and made her sit down before going through each of them, "I heard Little Varien has finally started showing his dad's genes and is going around wreaking havoc inside the shops."

"Oh God, trust me, its like the Triplets all over again," Anna groaned. "And whats worse is that the three of them are _training_ him to pull pranks!"

Elsa smiled and picked out a certain dress that Anna had brought over. It looked beautiful and suited her tastes very well, and also looked formal enough for a business party and casual enough for an event including their family and friends. She tried it out in the changing rooms and admired herself, loving how the dress revealed her collarbone and shoulders. She smiled to herself at how soft the fur around the neckline was and decided that this dress was the one.

Once Anna was satisfied as well, they paid for both the dresses and quickly got back into their car.

As they drove through the busy streets of New York, Elsa couldn't help but glance up at all the billboards with her boyfriend's face displayed on it, congratulating him for his second win at the Race of Rapidity. She smiled at how all the advertisements showed him off as this hot-and-cool badass and lovable bad boy whereas literally anyone who has spoken to him for more than five minutes would know that he is a determined and proud crackhead. She giggled when she saw a toothpaste advertisement he had acted in, and how much he had cringed in embarrassment when he had returned home that day.

Realizing that her sister had been silent the whole time, Elsa glanced to her side when they stopped at a red light and saw her deep in thought as she twisted her wedding ring around her finger. When Elsa voiced her concern, Anna quickly brushed her off and started talking about this _phenomenal_ chocolate cake she had tasted at a Cafe nearby and how much she wanted to eat it again. As any good sister would do, Elsa quickly lead the car to the Cafe, happy to satisfy her pregnant sister's sudden cravings.

They spent the rest of the day catching up after months of just seeing each other on video calls, enjoying their first Only Sisters hangout after so long. Anna continued groaning about how Kristoff wouldn't let her continue running the ice rink -even though she is the Head of the rink now, mind you- and always insists that she should take rest, and how literally everyone else at the rink keep supporting him. Elsa asked if business got better at the rink and Anna replied enthusiastically, explaining how she was becoming such close friends with all the customers that stay at the rink.

Elsa watched her sister with a smile on her face, happy that the rink was finally thriving again. She fiddled with the chain Jack had gifted her as her thoughts slowly drifted to the man who helped turn her life colorful and exciting again.

Both Elsa and Anna paused when they heard their own voices in the speakers of the Cafe and turned to see that the Cafe television was showing _their_ series. 

A few months after Jack's first Race, he still remained incredibly popular among the people along with Hiccup, which was very unusual since the racers and even winners of the Race of Rapidity usually remained a trend for about five months after the race and then they become old news again, with the exception of Elsa and Hans. So Jack had had the brilliant idea to use this popularity and shoot a short life-at-the-rink kind of series in which he even revealed everything that had happened in the time he had been missing. 

Add the legendary racer Elsa who had been missing from the public, the racer couple Hiccup and Astrid, the support staff that broke the world record, a heck lot of banter and shit ton of romance into the whole mess and they ended up with one of the most famous shows on the internet. They had managed with a very small shooting crew to keep the setting as natural as possible and hence, all of them had been surprised when their show had gotten nominated and even won few awards. This helped the audience know more about the personal lives of racers, how much they work hard and practice and even boosted the popularity of the rink, which upgraded into a resort where people can stay within nature and take a breather for a few days straight.

Back at the cafe, Anna giggled and Elsa hid her face as the television showed the scene in which Flynn, Astrid and Anna had silently sneaked a camera around the corner where Jack and Elsa had been flirting. Both of them and a few other customers at the cafe chuckled and laughed when Elsa onscreen caught the three of them and chased them down, which was recorded by Hiccup who kept repeating that he told them not to do it. When people started noticing Elsa and Anna sitting among them, the two of them decided it was time to leave and quickly left the cafe.

Once they were back home at Jack and Elsa's penthouse -which Elsa had gotten years back for her third win- Anna retreated to the guest room to take some rest. After tucking her in, Elsa flopped down in the master bedroom, eyes drifting over all the photographs hung on the wall. She couldn't help the smile on her face as her mind took her back to each memorable incident of the past four years. 

But just before she could close her eyes, her phone rang from where she had thrown it on the bedside table. Groaning, Elsa rolled over and grabbed the device, flipping it over to see that her PA and friend, Honeymaren was calling.

She received the call, put it on speaker and placed it on the bed next to her head before saying, "Hey Honey."

" _Sweet Jesus, why do you sound so exhausted?_ " Honeymaren asked, trying not to laugh.

"Hey, _you_ try hanging out with an eight-month pregnant over-excited sister with too much chocolate and sandwich cravings and an insatiable need to shop in _high heels_ and _then_ talk." Elsa huffed, pulling her legs up to undo her her six-inch stilettos before rubbing her sore foot.

"So running a specialized Race of Rapidity Board approved Training centre is easier than satisfying your pregnant sister's cravings?" Honey chuckled.

"Yes," Elsa deadpanned, "yes it is."

Honeymaren straight up laughed this time and even Elsa couldn't hold back the smile that crept onto her face. They spoke for some more time about their company's budget and a few other details which they planned to deal with later before Elsa said her goodbyes and ended the call.

This time, her eyes drifted to the biggest photo on the wall, taken in the lobby of DisneyWorks Training centre, a combined Race of Rapidity specialized training centre backed up by the biggest sports brand The Berk Associations and the most widespread charity and orphanage network The Guardians. Everyone from the rink, the Guardians and the main leaders of the Berk Association were present in the picture. And standing amidst all of them on either side of a Tachyons Cup won through friendship were the people who created this training centre, Jack Frost and Hiccup Haddock.

Right after the announcement of the results of the Race of Rapidity four years back, Jack had had the idea to use the prize from the Race to create a separate sub unit consisting of racers from both The Guardians Inc and the Berk Association. Hiccup had supported this as well, since the Berk Association mainly dealt with sports grounds and equipments at even national levels and they focussed on teaching all kinds of sports to those interested so their Race of Rapidity training wasn't actually the best; and the Guardians had initially just been an orphanage and charity organization until Manny had offered to train the kids and converted it into a Race of Rapidity sponsor. Hence, a sub unit focussed only on training the racers both physically and magically to prepare them for the Race and other similar competitions was proposed to be in the best interests of both the companies so North and Stoick had signed the agreement, thus creating DisneyWorks Training Centre.

Elsa had been appointed CEO under the recommendation of North, Stoick, Jack, Astrid and even Hiccup -who Jack hadn't know was Elsa's classmate at the Magical Academy along with Astrid and their other friends.

Elsa had openly rejected the offer at first, claiming that she is needed at the rink and since business was thriving there, she couldn't just leave her family to fend for themselves. But with Anna's assurances that she will step forward and look after the rink and Jack's pleadings to stay, she finally gave in and strove to take the Centre to greater heights.

After a year of preparation which included reconstructing the Glacial Haven into a training centre and prepping the vast land around it for training purposes, DisneyWorks Training Centre had been opened a year after Jack's first Race. Jack had represented their Training Centre for all of his next races, Hiccup took over the Presidency of the Association after his dad passed away two years prior and Honeymaren joined the Centre as Elsa's PA about a year ago and made life much easier for her.

At some point in time as Elsa reminisced about all of this, her eyes closed shut and she drifted off in a tired slumber.

Much later, she woke up to the sound of the door opening. With a smile, she turned around in the bed, settling down more comfortably when familiar cold arms wrapped around her body and a cold nose buried itself in her neck. She reached up and stroked his hair as her boyfriend shuffled closer and threw his leg over her.

"Long day?" she asked, voice filled with sleep and exhaustion.

"Too long," he groaned. "I almost don't want to attend the party tomorrow."

"You could always turn up just a little late," Elsa suggested, now massaging his temple, to which he hummed in approval. "I don't usually suggest people to be late for their own party but you really look like you need the extra sleep."

"Mhmm," Jack mumbled, "As tempting as that sounds, I think I'd rather attend the party and be done with it and then enjoy the two weeks vacation that _my boss_ has so kindly bestowed upon me," he stated, looking pointedly at her.

"It was Yelana's suggestion," Elsa shrugged, thinking back to how the Head Director of the Trainers had sighed deeply, exhaustion evident in her body probably due to Jack, as she suggested giving two weeks off for Jack since he had "so generously gone along with the interviews and advertisements" after he had won the race.

Jack just smiled at her and didn't reply. As Elsa continued massaging his forehead gently, Jack just stared at her with pure adoration on his face. Elsa noticed how he bit the inside of his lip, a telltale sign that he's either nervous or thinking deeply about something and worrying about it.

"What's wrong?" She asked, pausing her ministrations as she looked at him with concern laced in her voice. His expression almost seemed familiar to the one she had seen on Anna's face back when they had left the mall.

Jack snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head, smiling to ease her worries. He surprised her by kissing her deeply, which she reciprocated as much as her tired self allowed her to. When he pulled back after a few seconds, Elsa stared at him, confusion evident on her face as she tried to guess what might possibly be stressing him out.

Jack told her it was nothing and that she shouldn't waste her energy worrying about it. Seeing even more confusion in her eyes, Jack just chuckled and kissed her nose, and then fell asleep right away.

_Well, whatever it is, I'm pretty sure I'll get to know later..._

With that thought, Elsa leaned over, switched off the lights, and settled back in bed, savoring the last bit of rest she could have at the moment before worrying about the party preparations the next day.

.....

"The party is wonderful, Ms Winters," smiled the guest, one of the co-sponsors of DisneyWorks Training Centre. "You must be very proud of Mr Frost."

"Thank you very much for your kind words, Mr Dracula," Elsa smiled back politely, "and indeed, I am. He is the reason I'm here after all."

They continued exchanging polite conversation as business acquaintances usually would, until a loud child's voice called for her attention.

"Auntie Elsa!! I'm here!!"

Recognizing the voice, Elsa excused herself and turned around only to get an armful of her 3 year old nephew.

"Varien! My baby, how _are_ you?" She asked, laughing out loudly with him as he jumped up and hugged her tight.

"Even better now that I've seen you," he replied, grinning widely.

"I see your father has been rubbing off on you," Elsa laughed, holding him with one arm as she ruffled his hair with the other.

As he started rambling about all the great things he saw on the way to the party, Elsa made eye contact with her cousin who walked towards them with a tired smile while dragging her husband who was whining to get to the snack table.

"Hey," Rapunzel smiled a lot more brightly, reaching out to hug her cousin.

"My my, don't you look well-rested," Elsa teased, hugging her cousin with one arm before hugging Flynn as well.

"Sleep is a luxury I sacrificed ever since I got pregnant with the angel mixed with my excitement and the rest of Flynn's genes," Rapunzel rolled her eyes before looking around, "Are we too late?"

"Of course not," Elsa shook her head, signaling to Jack a few tables away, who was talking with North and Stoick, "The man of the hour arrived just a few minutes prior so I'd say you're right on time. Speaking of whom..." she trailed away, smiling as Jack walked over to them.

"Welcome to our party, dear ones! Rapunzel, still looking as amazing as always!" Jack grinned as he hugged the blonde before turning to her husband, "who invited you though?"

Flynn grabbed him in a choke-hold and the two of them started squirming to gain the upper hand until their respective babysitters cleared their throats. Jack's eyes then met with Varien's, and a silent yet weird tension settled between the two.

"How nice to see you again, little Var-var," Jack smiled, a devious glint in his eyes as he pointedly stared at the young boy, "You sure have grown big! Big enough to stand on your own without sitting on my girlfriend's hips, I'm sure."

The small boy smirked back, wrapping his arms around Elsa's neck as he stated, "Of course, Jack. But I don't see the problem in sitting on my future-wife's hips."

"Varien, honey, Elsa is not _your_ future wife," Jack rolled his eyes.

"Why not?" he pouted, now turning to look at his exasperated Aunt, "will you marry me, Auntie Elsa?"

Elsa made a show of considering her answer, before tickling the young boy as she stated, "If you behave like a good boy and not give your mom any trouble, then why wouldn't I marry the most cutest boy on earth?"

Varien giggled under her hands before looking at Jack triumph.

Jack made a show of scoffing and hugging Elsa as well, and the remaining adults there laughed at their antics.

They were soon joined by the Haddock family and the Bjorgmans, all of whom looked equally tired. Elsa let Varien down as he met up with Hiccup and Astrid's four year old daughter Zephyr, who excitedly introduced her two-year-old brother Nuffink to him. The children then ran off to play together, with Zephyr promising her mother and Rapunzel that she will take good care of the younger ones. When the mothers were convinced, the young girl grabbed Varien and Nuffink's hands and the three of them ran off to the kids section.

The adults continued talking with each other, laughing as Jack teased Hiccup and Flynn for growing out beards. But they couldn't talk for long because soon enough, Jack's presence was needed somewhere else and a few other people had been very interested in talking to Hiccup and Anna related to their business.

As Rapunzel and Astrid went to the kids section to keep an eye on their children and Flynn finally headed over to the snack table, Elsa walked around the party hall, making sure all the guests were taken care of.

She approached Honeymaren who was with the officer in charge of the party, and resolved few last minute doubts related to the deserts. Just as she wrapped up the conversation, she felt someone tap her shoulder in a familiar pattern and turned around with a smile on her face to be met with warm brown eyes and sleek locks of chocolate brown hair.

"What took you so long," Elsa asked as she embraced the sixteen-year old.

"Sorry, dressing up at the Salon right after my cram school turned out a _little_ too time-consuming," Emma replied, hugging her lightly before pulling back. "Did he arrive on time this time or was he fashionably late again?"

"Oh trust me, he actually turned up early for the party," Elsa grinned before both of them giggled, "I even told him that he could be late and catch s few extra Z's but he surprisingly insisted on coming early."

Emma chuckled to herself, muttering something that sounded like "Of course he would." But before Elsa could clarify, she was interrupted by her boyfriend's patronising yet immature voice.

"How can you turn up so late for your own brother's party?" Jack asked, hands on his hips as he tried to intimidate her.

"Hello to you too Jack," Emma roles her eyes, a good natured smile on her face.

"Why didn't you come last weekend?" He asked, raising an eyebrow before dramatically placing a hand on his heart, "I was so hurt that you skipped our weekend deal! I get to see you literally just on the weekends 'cause you're too busy continuing school from Aunt May's house even though I clearly told that I have _no problem_ reappointing a driver for you-"

"And _I_ told you that its easier for me to continue staying at Aunt May's house since all of my friends live there and its closer to my school! You _saw_ how much of a mess my entire schedule became in the last two attempts of me living at y'alls penthouse." Emma pointed out. " Besides, I couldn't come last week because I had extra lessons to attend at my cram school! It's tiring to go back and forth from your house to the institute so I decided to skip."

Jack seemed to ignore her words as he turned his face away from her, this time placing the back of his hand on his forehead as he pretended to sniffle, "It has started, my sweet angelic little sister has started going through her rebellious phase...! Whatever shall I do, oh great heavens?!"

"Oh my God you drama queen," Emma facepalmed before slapping the back of his head, "I promised you I'd come and chill this weekend so get over yourself."

"Such lies she spouts," Jack continued, turning the other way around as he continued his act, "now she refuses to hang out with me, and then the next thing I know she's gonna be dating boys without telling me!"

Both Jack and Elsa expected the usual shove along with a refusal from the teenager, but it never came. And to their surprise, Emma was looking away while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a trait she started doing whenever she was nervous or was hiding something.

When realisation finally struck, Jack gasped, face now filled with fake fury, "Wait, _REALLY?!_ You're already dating someone?!? _"_

Emma shook her head fast, trying to resolve the misunderstanding, "No no NO, not yet!"

"Not yet?" Jack raised an eyebrow, bending to make eye-contact with his sister who actively avoided his eyes, "So you like someone?"

"Wellllll....." Emma dragged, rubbing her hand to her elbow as a blush made way into her cheeks, "There is this one girl..."

Jack and Elsa blinked, before Jack burst, "What do you _mean_ 'there's a girl'? You haven't confessed yet?!"

Emma rolled her eyes, trying her very best to not show her blush as she replied, "not exactly? We both know that we like each other and we might've even kinda sorta kissed or somethin _but_ nothing's set in stone or anything yet..."

"Emma, _what-?!_ "

" _Aaaaaand_ someone's calling for you, Frostface," Elsa interrupted him, pushing him towards a waiting Bunny with close to no subtlety. She then turned to Emma who smiled at her with relief evident on her face.

But before they could talk, Jack called Elsa over as well, glaring at her for pushing him. Emma mouthed her a 'thank you', to which Elsa replied with a wink and a thumbs-up before she reached her boyfriend.

They spoke with a few more guests and friends, and the whole time Elsa couldn't help but notice that Jack was getting more nervous and was sweating a lot more than usual.

"Hey, you okay?" Elsa asked once they finally got some free time. She reached up and checked his temperature, eyebrows furrowing in confusion when his health seemed to be just fine.

"Hey Snowflake," Jack suddenly grabbed her hand before looping it around his, "Wanna go out on a walk?"

Elsa blinked, surprised at his actions as she glanced behind at the party, "Jack, its _your_ party! We can't just up and leave-!"

"We'll come back," Jack assured her, already leading her to the backdoor of the party hall, "Lets step out for just a few minutes, take a breather after an entire day of preparation, ya know?"

Before Elsa could even agree, she was already walking out of the room and into the cold night outside.

Elsa had assumed that they would just be walking in the small garden outside but Jack surprised her yet again by sweeping her into his arms, pulling his staff out from nowhere before shooting into the sky. Elsa tried asking where they were going and what was he trying to do, but Jack just told her it was a secret and even requested her to close her eyes.

Suspicious but also curious, Elsa obliged and closed her eyes, trying to guess where they were going by using her other senses. But she couldn't come up with an answer and even considered peeking an eye open after they had been flying at full speed for about 30 minutes already. Despite being so curious, Elsa kept her word and stayed blind the whole time, noticing that Jack's nervousness seemed to increase by the minute.

When she finally decided to just ask him outright, Jack floated towards the ground and set her down before whispering in her ear to open her eyes.

Elsa followed his instructions, her throat clogging up with emotions as she looked around the familiar place, the one place which held all her dreams of the future from when she had been a child.

"Jack...?" Elsa uttered his name questioningly as she looked around the small clearing where she had brought him in the middle of the night years back when Jack and her had just recently become friends. The ground was covered with snow as always but the small trees around the clearing had been decorated with fairy lights and ice flowers, making the place seem almost ethereal.

She looked around in search of him- and her heart did a jump and speech left her body when she saw Jack behind her, down on one knee, holding out a box with a simple yet elegant ring which had a captivating blue stone in the middle.

Jack smiled nervously and took a deep breath before he started, "Elsa, never in my life had I actually believed in love and permanent relationships because of a strong and deep fear of abandonment after my parents' death. I always felt like no matter how hard I work, the people whom I love _will_ end up leaving me at some point. But you changed my whole life, made me realise things I was too stupid to notice, made my heart strong again, influenced me by your smartness and had me falling deep in love for the first time in my life. These past four years have been the happiest days of my life despite all the problems I faced and overcame all thanks to you. Without you, I wouldn't be having the loving relationship I have with Emma right now, or so many friends, a family, the love for my job and my powers, and love for _myself_ , but most importantly a home I can always return to and a life to look forward to. So will you, Elsa Winters, make me the happiest fuckin man in the universe by promising to stay with me even after we're no longer the most beautiful power couple of the country, after our children have left us to lead their own lives and until death so us part?" He paused and held his breath, looking at her with naked sincerity and love.

"Will you, my Snowflake, let me win the race of my life, one more time, by becoming my wife?" He asked, finishing his cheesy speech with a huge smile.

Elsa, who was already crying and laughing at the same time, jumped on him and hugged him tight as the two of them rolled in the snow. She scolded him for being so cheesy and for ruining his entire speech by making a race-reference even though it was blindingly obvious that she loved all of it by the tears streaming down her face and the tight hug that she held him in. Finally, a few seconds later, she leaned close to his ear and whispered,

"Yes."

**The End :)**

**......**

**Hey there, the Author here. I've been working on this fanfic for almost two years now I think on a different website, and yaayyy its finally over! I've been very indecisive with so many aspects of this fanfiction and even put it on hiatus for some time which is when I took the time to properly organize the plot and other details (tho most of them is just me winging it)**

**So if you've come all this way and read it till its last chapter, you have my utmost gratitude and appreciation. Thanks a lot for spending time to read this fanfic that I enjoyed writing so much.**

**This fic finally ends here, please do leave your comments, kudos and follows, and don't hesitate to show any love or express which part of the fanfic you enjoyed the most.**

**Thank you so much, stay safe!**

**~WinterFury10**


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